UNESCO inscribed documents of the Nanjing Massacre in its Memory of the World Register. The decision was made during a three-day meeting in the United Arab Emirates in October last year. Some 88 submissions from 61 countries were examined as part of the 2014–2015 nomination cycle.  

According to UNESCO, the documents of the Nanjing Massacre consist of three sections. The first concerns the period of the massacre. The second relates to the post-war investigation and trials of war criminals, which were documented by the Chinese National Government’s military tribunal. The third deals with files from the judicial authorities of the People's Republic of China.

The Memory of the World Register was set up in 1992. The UNESCO archive aims to preserve and document records of important historical events for the benefit of present and future generations. China now has 10 inscriptions in the Memory of the World Register.

The decision to add the Nanjing documents was made at a meeting in Abu Dhabi October 4–6, 2015. It was the result of a two-year process conducted by the International Advisory Committee of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program.

UNESCO hopes the register will help international cooperation by building mutual understanding between nations.