Sarawak has officially received the hosting rights for the International Council on Archives Conference 2027, marking a historic first for Sarawak as the host destination. The official handover ceremony took place in Barcelona, Spain, 31 October, during the closing ceremony of the ICA Congress 2025, where The Honourable Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s minister for tourism, creative industry and performing arts, formally received the hosting rights on behalf of Sarawak. This marks the second time Malaysia has hosted an ICA event.
“The Ministry of National Unity Malaysia is dedicated to integrating the conference into our national vision, ensuring the platform powerfully showcases Malaysia’s rich, diverse heritage and reinforces our cultural and historical connections with the international archival community. In Malaysia, the importance of preserving our heritage, our documents, our stories, our digital records is an act of national unity,” said Dato’ Haslina binti Abdul Hamid, secretary general, Ministry of National Unity Malaysia.
The International Council on Archives (ICA) is the leading global organisation dedicated to advancing archival and records management. Every four years, the ICA Congress gathers thousands of professionals for a robust programme of workshops, sessions, and keynotes. In alternate years, ICA hosts its biennial conference focused on current challenges and innovations in archival science.
“We are proud of the strong teamwork between federal and state partners that made ICA 2027 possible in Sarawak. It’s a privilege to be part of ICA’s legacy, and we hope it will inspire national and local archive professionals to create enduring legacies for the community and country,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak, who was also present at the handover.
Malaysia’s successful bid to host the conference in Kuching, initiated in 2024, was the result of a strong multi-agency collaboration led by the Sarawak State Library and the National Archives of Malaysia, with the firm backing of both Federal and Sarawak Government agencies and universities. The upcoming ICA Conference 2027 will be held from 1–5 November 2027 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) and expected to gather more than 1,000 delegates from around the world.
