ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the major phenomenon of the past 20 (or more) years, the development of electronic technology for the creation, management, dissemination and re-use of all types of information, including records and archives. From a geopolitical perspective, and at a time when the exchange of, and access to, information is facilitated by technological advances, a notable development has been the use of archives for promoting and protecting human rights. The initial movement stemmed from the downfall of repressive regimes in Latin America, Southern Europe and, ultimately, in Eastern Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, and the recognition that the records and archives of those regimes themselves used in a number of ways: to provide evidence for prosecution, to ensure restitution for the victims and to contribute towards reconciliation. The importance of archives in ensuring the effectiveness of the work of international courts and tribunals continued to underline the importance for the global community of maintaining archives as evidence.
