In general terms the association wants to connect the members, to spread knowledge in the field of television archiving and to defend their interests on an international level.

[1] The federation is registered as an international association under French Law, with its official address at Institut national de l'Audiovisuel.

In the even years the World Conference also holds a General Assembly, during which the new president and a part of the Executive Council is elected.

The Conference features keynotes speakers, panels discussions, workshops, masterclasses, case study presentations, social events, and networking opportunities.

Since 2014 also a Lifetime Achievement Award is attributed annually to a person with exceptional and enduring merits in the field of audiovisual archiving.

Lifetime Achievement Awards have been granted to several prominent figures of the international audiovisual archiving world, including Dominique Saintville, Dietrich Schüller, Steve Bryant, Anne Hanford, Richard Wright, Vittorio Sette, Jean Varra, Annemieke de Jong, Roberto Rossetto, Jacqui Gupta, Daniel Teruggi and Eva-Lis Green.

The program speaks to FIAT/IFTA’s core mission – designing useful policies and tools to serve the archival community and developing cooperation among its members.