16 December. From 29 November to 4 December, the Director-General participated to the technical visits carried out by an Ad Hoc group of experts in Angkor, Cambodia. He also participated, as ICCROM representative, to the 15th plenary session of the International Coordination Committee for the safeguard and development of Angkor.

He visited the restoration works in Angkor, in particular the ones carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Ta Phronm Temple.

On this occasion, the Director-General, met Mrs Anshu Vaish, Director General, ASI; H.E. Ambassador of France to Cambodia Jean-François Desmazières, Co-President of ICC-Angkor; H.E. Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia Katsuhiro Shinohara, Co-President of ICC-Angkor; Mr Laurent Levi-Strauss, Division of Cultural Objects and Intangible Heritage, UNESCO; Mr Azedine Beschaouch, former Director General of the Institut National du Patrimoine of Tunisia; Mrs Françoise Rivière, Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO; Mr Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia and Mr Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia.

16 December. From 25 - 28 November, the Director-General participated to the Expert Meeting and Extraordinary Session of the 30th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP). H.E. Mr Yu In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism attended the inaugural dinner.

21 November. On 20 November, the Director-General and Prof. Francesco Profumo, Rector of the Politecnico di Torino signed an MOU. Present were Prof Tatiana Kirova, Faculty of Architecture, Politecnico di Torino; Mr Bruno Pisani, Manager of Finance and Administration; and Maria Teresa Jaquinta, Liaison Officer (Co-operation with Italy).

21 November. On 13 November, the Director-General participated in the inauguration session of the 2008 Edition of the Mediterranean Exchange on Archaeological Tourism (BMTA) in Paestum, Italy. He also chaired the inauguration session of the XI Borsa on 'Archaeology and Intercultural Dialogue' and gave an opening speech. The conference was co-organized with ICCROM.

Present in the inauguration also were: Mr Antonio Bassolino, President of the Campania Region; H.E. Philippe Bianchi, Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco in Italy; H.E. Ambassador Francesco Caruso, Special Counselor to the Director General of UNESCO; Mr Ciro Castaldo, Manager of Tourism and Culture of the Province of Salerno; Mr Paolo Del Bianco, President of the Fondazione Romualdo Del Bianco; Mr José Manuel Del Rio Carrasco Undersecretary, Commission for Cultural Heritage of the Holy See; Mr Adnan Husseini, member of Palestinian Goverment in charge of the Jerusalem dossier; Dr Taha Hamdan, Director General of Antiquities and Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, Palestine; H.E. Shaikha Mai Al Khalifah, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Bahrain; Mr Rolandas Kvietkauskas, Undersecretary, Ministry of Culture, Lithuania; H.E. Ambassador Mrs Ina Marciulionyte, Permanent Delegation of Lithuania to UNESCO; Mr Pasquale Marino, Mayor of Capaccio-Paestum; Ms Maria Luisa Nava,Superintendent for Archaeological Heritage of Salerno and Avellino; Mr Ugo Picarelli, Director of the Borsa; Mr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, World Tourism Organization; H.E. Carlos Roca Caceres, Ambassador of Peru in Italy; Mr Augusto Strianese, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Salerno; Mr Gianfranco Varvesi, Italian Representative, Organizzazione per la Cooperazione e lo Sviluppo Economico (OCSE) and National Coordinator European Year Intercultural Dialogue 2008; and Mr Angelo Villani, President of the Province of Salerno.

12 November. On 6-8 November, the Director-General participated in the International Workshop on Disaster Risk Management at World Heritage Properties organized by UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Greece. The workshop was held in Olympia.

Present were: Prof Emanuele Greco, Director, Scuola Archeologica Italiana di Atene; Mrs Elena Korka, Head, Directorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and ICCROM Council Member; H.E. Mr Michalis Liapis, Minister of Culture, Greece; Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis, Director, new Acropolis Museum Project; Mrs Catherine Paraschi, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Culture, Greece; Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO; Mr Vivi Vassilopoulou, Director-General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

12 November. On 3-4 November, the Director-General participated in a thematic study of prehistoric sites and the World Heritage List, held at UNESCO, Paris.

Present were: H.E. Ambassador María Jesús San Segundo, Chairperson, World Heritage Committee and Ambassador of Spain to UNESCO; Francesco Bandarin, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Nuria Sanz, Programme Specialist, UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Prof Michael Turner, UNESCO Chair in Conservation Studies, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.