25 November. The XXVIth General Assembly of ICCROM opened today in Rome. The event is being held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The inauguration was attended by:
Mr Luiz Souza, Temporary President of the General Assembly
Mr Jacques Diouf, Director-General, FAO
Mr Vincenzo Scotti,
Under Secretary of State, Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Mr Giuseppe Proietti,
Secretary General, Italian Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities
Mr Vincenzo Maria Vita,
Vice President, 7th Permanent Commission (Education and Cultural Heritage), Senate of the Republic of Italy
Mr Louis Godart, Counsellor of the President of the Republic of Italy for the conservation of cultural heritage
Mr Giovanni Puglisi, President, Italian National Commission for UNESCO
Mr Giovanni Nistri, General,CommanderCarabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage
Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mr Mounir Bouchenaki, Director-General, ICCROM
Mons. José Manuel Del Rio Carrasco, Holy See, read the personal message from H.H. Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of ICCROM's establishment in Rome.
An exhibition on the reinstallation of the great stele of Aksum in Ethiopia was inaugurated by Mr Jacques Diouff, Director-General of FAO; H.E. Ambassador A. G. Aseffa, Ethiopian Adjunct Permanent Representative to FAO; H.E. Ambassador Pietro Sebastiani, Italian Permanent Representative to FAO; Senator Alfredo Mantica, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre; and Mr Mounir Bouchenaki, Director-General of ICCROM.
In addition, delegations from 83 of ICCROM’s Member States are attending the three-day event, together with observers from 24 partner institutions and 3 non-Member States. They will be listening to reports on the implementation of 2008-9 programme, discussing the progamme for the next two years, and electing new members to ICCROM’s Council.
The delegates received various souvenirs to celebrate ICCROM's 50th Anniversary, such as, a personalized USB card containing electronic versions all the General Assembly documents and 10 volumes of the ICCROM Conservation Studies.
A brief video clip for this commemoration was also presented at the XXVIth General Assembly:
