Documentation and its Role in Memorialization

This memo outlines importance of documentation as a form of memorialization, with examples from other states. It emphasizes that documentation can take place during all phases of conflict, with each phase of presenting different challenges and opportunities to the documentation process. If the groundwork is laid during conflict, and if a systematic approach to documentation during conflict can be developed, the collection of different types of archival material may serve important memorialization goals during the conflict and in its aftermath. The documentation of survivors’ and eyewitness testimonies, the preservation and documentation of physical sites, and the collection of press coverage and media related to the conflict are the types of documentation that can be collected during conflict. These types of documentation can serve to recognize survivors of conflict raise awareness of the in-country situation and contribute to future memorialization and truth-seeking processes.