(The decision to create archives) is intended to facilitate future generations in obtaining information, particularly about pandemic handling
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Archives related to COVID-19 pandemic handling in Indonesia will be a valuable asset for the nation in the future, according to National Archives of Indonesia (ANRI) Chairperson Imam Gunarto.

"(The decision to create archives) is intended to facilitate future generations in obtaining information, particularly about pandemic handling," Gunarto stated at a media gathering here, Thursday .

He explained that the establishment of archives related to COVID-19 handling was aimed at following up on Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucracy Reform Circular No 62 of 2020 that mandated such action.

The ANRI is ready to accept all archive objects relevant to COVID-19 pandemic handling from government ministries and institutions, the agency head affirmed.

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"The circular is guiding archive creators to implement measures to rescue COVID-19 handling archives to bolster the accountability of government institutions' performance," Gunarto stated.

He noted that apart from enumerating the criteria of archives that must be rescued and preserved, the circular also requires archive creators to report and submit objects related to COVID-19 pandemic handling with historical values to the archiving agency.


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As the circular has given mandate to the agency, ANRI will work promptly to consolidate COVID-19 pandemic handling archives and ensure that the process will be implemented earnestly, according to the agency head.

"ANRI hopes the complete COVID-19 pandemic archives will be a valuable source of information for people in the future," he stated.

Gunarto highlighted that to date, some 18 government institutions had presented COVID-19 handling archives created by them to the agency.

"So far, 18 institutions have been presenting their COVID-19 pandemic handling archives to ANRI, and the total archives accepted by us have reached eight thousand archive files or units," he remarked.


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Translator: Wuryanti P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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