ABSTRACT
The significance of reliable and trustworthy records for public sector accountability and effectiveness, and the impact on citizens’ rights when they are not managed, is far greater than is often realized. Records are the clearest and most durable evidence of the organization’s operations, decisions, and activities. They are the underpinning factor in good governance. The International Records Management Trust (IRMT), a UK-registered charity governed by a board of trustees, exists for the sole purpose of supporting lower-resource countries in tackling the issues involved in managing public sector records as an essential national resource.
The IRMT was created in 1989 in response to a global study that documented widespread and progressive deterioration in the management of public sector records. It has always emphasized the significance of well-managed records for protecting and supporting citizens’ interests as the evidence base for national and international development. It works with governments around the world to strengthen records systems as a basis for improved services for citizens; effective resource management; open, accountable, and transparent democracies; and national historical identity. From the time of its establishment, the IRMT has been committed to working with records professionals and their governments to find and apply new solutions for managing official records. In an environment of rapid administrative and technological change, it has become ever more important to find new solutions to protecting records as evidence.
