Appendix 1: Extracts from the circular letter from the prime minister (of Tunisia), no. 21 of 12 April 1993, concerning the emergency plan for the organization of administrative records and archives

1. Objectives of the emergency plan

The purpose of the aforementioned emergency plan is to regularize the present accumulation of administrative records and archives in administrative buildings and repositories of various kinds. In particular, it is intended to disencumber the documents of all superfluous items and subsequently to work towards the establishment of a records and archives management system that complies with the existing laws and regulations.

This plan concerns all services administered by the State, local authorities and public institutions and enterprises.

2. Practical measures

(a) Each ministry shall appoint a high-ranking official with the rank of director of central administration who shall, under the authority of his/her ministry, be responsible for the implementation of the emergency plan in the services of the ministry concerned and in the public establishments under its responsibility.

(b) Each ministry shall appoint a working group to draw up an exhaustive inventory of the buildings and repositories which contain administrative records and archives and which come under its authority or that of the public establishments placed under its control. That exhaustive inventory should:

- indicate for each repository its type, location and surface area;

- mention the different types of documents accumulated and their state of preservation;

-assess the total quality of documents.

(c) Each ministry shall set up a working group to be responsible for the appraisal and classification of the accumulated documents and archives in all the buildings and repositories concerned. The members of these working groups shall be category 'B' personnel (having a level of education equivalent to the baccalaureate) and shall be assigned to the above-mentioned work for the duration of the emergency plan. The number of persons to be included in these groups shall be specified jointly by the official in charge of the emergency plan and the Director of the National Archives.

The members of these groups shall receive appropriate training for a period of two weeks at the National School of Administration; that training shall be conducted under the supervision of the National Archives.

The working groups may be assisted by unskilled workers in carrying out the tasks entailed by the implementation of the emergency plan.

(d) In collaboration with the National Archives, each ministry shall draw up a schedule for the operations of appraisal and classification of all the accumulated documents.

(e) While the appraisal and classification of the documents are taking place, the repositories must be remodelled to store the documents proposed for permanent conservation, pending their transfer to the National Archives. The repositories shall be approved by the National Archives and the National Fire Brigade.

(f) Following authorization by the National Archives, the documents for disposal shall be destroyed within two months following the completion of the emergency plan, in accordance with the approved methods and under the technical supervision of the National Archives.

3. Remuneration for work carried out under the emergency plan

With a view to ensuring that all the operations relating to the implementation of the emergency plan proceed smoothly, the ministries, local authorities, public institutions and public enterprises shall be authorized to permit employees assigned to the implementation of the emergency plan to receive an allowance for special work in accordance with the procedures in force.

4. Co-ordinating and monitoring the execution of the emergency plan

A team appointed by the Prime Minister shall be responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring the execution of the emergency plan for the re-ordering of administrative records and archives.