Josée Kirps Appointed President of the International Council on Archives

On Wednesday 10 August 2022, Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture confirmed that Josée Kirps, director of the National Archives of Luxembourg, has been elected president of the International Council on Archives (ICA, International Council on Archives) for the next 4 years; this appointment is to be confirmed by the general assembly held in Rome next September. 

Holder of a master's degree in history and a degree in modern literature, Josée Kirps has been director of the National Archives in the Grand Duchy since October 2003 and is, among other things, president of the International Association of Francophone Archives.

The International Council on Archives represents archival professionals from all over the world and aims to ensure the effective management of archives and the conservation as well as the treatment and use of archival heritage worldwide.

Committed for a long time to the modernisation of the archives sector at the national level, Josée Kirps was one of the driving forces for the development of the law relating to archiving voted in 2018 which modernises archiving at the national level, so she is aware challenges facing the sector. Ms. Kirps' experience and professional skills convinced the members of the ICA to appoint the Director of the National Archives to the position of President of the Council in order to continue the reflection on the transformation of practices in the sector and to permeate the organisation in an open approach to current innovations.

"I am convinced that Ms. Kirps is the right person for any position of responsibility, with an innate talent for bringing people together and with great professional skills, resulting in part from her long experience at the head of the National Archives. Coming from a small country whose strength results from its ability to collaborate and exchange at the international level in a multilingual and multicultural dialogue, her presidency will undoubtedly be of great added value for the ICA" said Minister of Culture Sam Tanson who warmly congratulated Josée Kirps on her appointment as President of this prestigious organisation.