Workshop on underwater cultural heritage opens Tuesday
******************************************************


The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on the 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage will run from Tuesday (November 18) to November 20 at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Museum of History.

The workshop has been jointly organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the Antiquities and Monuments Office; and co-organised by the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust and the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong.

It aims to introduce the new 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on November 2, 2001, to states of the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop also aims to ratify the convention as well as to provide a forum for discussion about the development of underwater archaeology.

Some 100 experts in underwater archaeology and the Law of the Sea from more than 20 countries are invited to the conference and about 20 speakers will present their conference papers. The agenda of the conference is as follows:

Agenda

Moderator/Speaker

1. Presentation of the New UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage

Moderator: Deputy Director, Department of Protection of Monuments and Sites, State Administration of Cultural Heritage, China, Mr Guan Qiang

* The Making of the Convention
Speaker: Special Adviser on International Relations, Natural Forest and Nature Agency, Denmark, Mr Carsten Lund

* The Need for International Collaboration and Present Difficulties of Control
Speaker: Professor of Law, Konkuk University, Republic of Korea, Mr Keun-Gwan Lee

* The Convention and its Provision on Salvage and the Law of Finds
Speaker: Chief Program Officer cum Chief, International Standards Section, Division of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO, Mr Guido Carducci

2. Round Table: Particular issues for the Asia-Pacific region

Moderator: Head of Department, Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia, Mr Mark Staniforth
Panelists:

* Archaeological Surveyor and Administrative Assistant, Marshall Islands Historic Preservation Office, Mr Fredrick Langmoir

* Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Department of Culture, India, Mr Alok Tripathi

* Director General, Department of Museums and Antiquities, Malaysia, Mr Adi Bin Haji Taha

* Director, Underwater Archaeology Division, Fine Arts Department of Thailand, Mr Erbprem Vatcharangkul

* Chief Curator, National Museum of Vietnamese History, Vietnam, Mr Nguyen Dinh Chien

3. A New International Legal Framework

Moderator: Director, Underwater Archaeology Division, Fine Arts Department of Thailand, Mr Erbprem Vatcharangkul

* Protection and international collaboration: The Legal Framework of the Convention
Speaker: Adjunct Professor, Australian National University, Canberra cum former Chair, Cultural Heritage Law Committee, International Law Association, Mr Patrick O'Keefe

* Non-archaeological Activities Affecting the Underwater Cultural Heritage
Speaker: James Cook University, Australia, Mr Bill Jeffery

* The Convention Provisions on Illicit Traffic
Speaker: Director, UNESCO Office, Phnom Penh, Mr Etienne Clement

* Education and Training - the PADI Programme
Speaker: Vice President for Training, Education and Memberships, PADI Asia Pacific, Mr Henrik C. Nimb

4. Law and Archaeology in the Convention

Moderator: Head, Division of Maritime Heritage, National Service for Archaeological Heritage, The Netherlands, Mr Thijs Maarleveld

* The Making of the Annex: Archaeology and the Convention
Speaker: ICOMOS International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH), Mr Robert Grenier

* Key Principles of Marine Archaeology: the Annex
Speaker: Director, Maritime Archaeology and History Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Mr Hans van Tilburg

* Collaboration within the Region: Exchanges of Information and Training in the Convention
Speaker: Head, Maritime Archaeology Department, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Australia, Mr Jeremy Green

5. Some National/Regional Experience

Moderator: Head, Maritime Archaeology Department, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Australia, Mr Jeremy Green

* China
Speaker: Director, Chinese Underwater Archaeology Research Centre, Mr Zhang Wei

* The Galle project (Sri Lanka)
Speakers:

* Central Cultural Fund, Sri Lanka, Mr Mohan Abeyratne

* Advisor on Maritime Archaeology to the Director-General of Archaeology, Member, ICUCH, ICOMOS Sri Lanka, Mr Somasiri Devendra

* Officer In-Charge, Maritime Archaeology Unit, Central Cultural Fund, Sri Lanka, Mr Saman De Silva

6. Proposals for Regional collaboration

Moderator: UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific, Mr Richard Engelhardt

7. Steps Toward Ratification and the Entry into Force of the Convention

Moderator: Professor of Law, Konkuk University, Republic of Korea, Mr Keun-Gwan Lee

* The Need for Ratification: Urgency & Uniformity
Speaker: Adjunct Professor, Australian National University, Canberra cum former Director, Cultural Heritage Division, UNESCO, Ms Lyndel Prott

* Presentation of the Ratification Kit: Steps to Follow at the National and International Level
Speaker: Chief, International Standards Section, Division of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO, Mr Guido Carducci

8. Presentation and Adoption of the Action Agenda for Implementation of the Convention in the Asia-Pacific Region

Moderators:
* Central Cultural Fund, Sri Lanka, Mr Mohan Abeyratne
* UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific, Mr Richard Engelhardt

Attendance at the workshop is by invitation only.

For more information, please visit http://www.unescobkk.org/culture/underwater .

Ends/Friday, November 14, 2003
NNNN