Supreme Legislation Committee and National Archives discuss archiving best standards

UAE, August 8, 2016- The Supreme Legislation Committee (SLC) received recently a delegation from the National Archives (NA) to explore the standards adopted by the NA to maintain documents and implement them to archive legislative documents in Dubai. The visit is in line with the SLC’s keenness to preserve the historical documents related to Dubai’s legislative legacy in accordance with the highest international standards and in line with the best practices of the National Archives. 

The visit was in implementation of the directives of H.E. Ahmed bin Meshar Al Muhairi, SLC Secretary General, who confirmed the SLC commitment to cooperating with the NA with a view to documenting the rich legal and legislative legacy of Dubai for future generations. The visiting NA delegation met with the competent team of the Archiving Project, headed by Legal Advisor Mohammed Al Suwaidi, SLC Assistant Secretary-General, to discuss various aspects of cooperation between the SLC and the NA and set a framework for cooperation between the two sides.

H.E. Bin Meshar pointed out that the SLC is committed to learn the techniques of handling and preserving historical documents to implement them to preserving the legislative legacy of Dubai in line with its tireless efforts to make the ‘Legislative Museum’ initiative a success. Bin Meshar asserted that the joint cooperation with the National Archives, which is the biggest documentation center in the GCC, will help in achieving the objectives of the ‘Legislative Museum’ initiative, namely, to document and preserve the original copies of the legislation issued by H.H. the Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council; chronicle the most prominent landmarks in the march to develop the solid legislative framework of Dubai, which has been an important pillar of the development efforts outstandingly spearheaded by Dubai for nearly five decades. 

“We seek through our cooperation with the National Archives to develop the process of maintaining the historical documents related to the Dubai legislation and make them accessible to decision-makers, researchers, academics and other interested parties. Today’s visit by the NA delegation has given the SLC documentation team the opportunity to learn more about  documentation, including document management, archiving, and the related technical procedures. The SLC is keen to join efforts with the NA to serve the common goals. We thank the NA for granting the SLC request to be part of the NA campaign to document the national registries, and commend its patriotic role in collecting and archiving the documents relating to all aspects of the UAE life to preserve the glorious memory of the UAE,” added H.E. Bin Meshar.

Mr. Al Suwaidi elaborated the efforts exerted by the SLC to establish the ‘Legislative Museum,’ which represents an important milestone in archiving the UAE’s legal excellence, led by the Founders of the Union since its establishment. Al Suwaidi pointed out that compiling, archiving, and translating the documents and information related to the legislation of Dubai is a highly important task for SLC and a part of the joint cooperation with the National Archives to preserve the UAE’s past based on the highest international standards in documentation and accessibility.

Mr. Al Suwaidi expressed admiration for the National Archives’ policy in the field of compiling and maintaining documents. He explained that they follow an integrated policy for document management using the latest software and applications for documentation, electronic archiving, information management, and paper documents handling. He reiterated the SLC’s commitment to capitalize on all the technical and human potential available at the National Archives to complete the process of collecting and archiving the documents and information related to the legislative history of the UAE in accordance with the highest archiving standards, given the critical importance of such documents and their outstanding value to the UAE.