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19 March. The Director-General began the winter with the visit of Gert-Jan Burgers, Director of the Royal Netherlands Institute on 4 December 2012. He subsequently participated in the 3rd International Architectural Conservation Conference and Exhibition in Dubai, 17 – 19 December 2012, organized with support of the Dubai Government and Municipality, and held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Chairman of Dubai Municipality.
The month of January was particularly full of activities. Throughout this month, Stefano de Caro had the opportunity to meet with representatives of several partner institutions.
On 17 January 2013, the Director-General received Mr Passacantando and Mr Ambrogi from Banca d’Italia to discuss issues regarding the EPA Fund management. In terms of achievements in this period in the region, it is worth mentioning the MoU signed with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs concerning a pilot project on digital recording and dissemination of information on Rock Art in Somaliland.
A meeting the Director General had with the President of the Brazilian Institute of Museums (IBRAM) on 18 January 2013 led to interesting discussions on the interest expressed by Brazil in proposing a new UNESCO instrument for the protection of museum and collections, as well as on the possible involvement of IBRAM in the LATAM Programme.
Within the framework of the MOSAIKON Programme, Stefano De Caro as Director-General hosted a meeting on 30 – 31 January 2013 with partners including the Getty Foundation, the Getty Conservation Institute and the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCMC) in order to prepare the MOSAIKON Directors Meeting scheduled for September 2013. The meeting aimed at examining activities and means for the last phase of the Programme, as well as foreseeable results to build sustainable conditions to ensure an appropriate follow-up and empowerment by national institutions in this specific field.
Taking the opportunity offered by an agreement with “Invitalia”, the Italian national agency for inward investments and economic development, ICCROM is collaborating in studying the principal features of mainly private investment in the field of conservation and enhancement of cultural and natural heritage. The study has benefited from the past experience of the DG regarding themes and issues that have then been analyzed and proposed in the interview campaign with experts and scholars. The expected results would aim to identify suitable scenarios of public-private partnerships in the field of cultural heritage. Needless to say, fundraising, or resource mobilization, is one of the tools required by ICCROM to overcome the progressive decrease of ICCROM’s budget, which has occurred over the last three biennia due to the decision of the General Assembly to maintain the budget on a Zero Nominal Growth (ZNG) basis.
Both at ICCROM and in other locations, the Director-General took part in meetings and conferences which included:
- The inauguration of the exhibit 'Abu Simbel: The Saving of the Temples: man and technolgy' organized by the Egyptian Academy in Rome in collaboration with the World Wide Artists Gallery Association (10 January 2013)
- A meeting with Mr Salvatore Sebastiano Vizzini, Officer, Ufficio IX, I.G.A.E. International Organizations, Dipartimento Ragioneria Generale dello Stato, Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (15 January 2013). Also in attendance was Bruno Pisani, Manager of Finance and Administration.
- The meeting ’Convegno/Dibattito: Il catalogo nazionale dei beni culturali' organized by the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione (ICCD) (16 January 2013).
- A meeting organized by the Department of Historic-Artistic, Archaeological and Conservation Studies of the University of Roma Tre, entitled: Valorizzare è conservare, Conservare è valorizzare: Il ruolo dello Stato e degli Enti Locali nell'uso pubblico dei Beni Culturali' (22 January 2013).
In the month of February, the Director-General received the visit of representatives from the Gyeong-ju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Republic of South Korea (4 Febrary 2013).
Particularly delicate were the issues discussed in the Amman Conference on the current situation of the looting risks to cultural heritage in Syria, organized by the local UNESCO Regional Office (9 - 14 February 2013). On this occasion, Stefano de Caro offered ICCROM’s expertise, with particular reference to risk preparedness training, and his personal experience as former Director General of Antiquities at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. This was followed by his attendance at the international expert meeting ‘Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Mali’ organized by UNESCO at the headquarters in Paris (18 February 2103).
Finally, on 20 February 2013, the Director General Held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Istituto Italo Latino Americano, Ambassador Giorgio Malfatti di Monte Tretto who showed interest in exploring possible means of collaboration, including the possibility to second staff for assisting in the LATAM Programme, and in collaborating to organize a presentation of ICCROM to diplomatic representatives from Latin America and Caribbean based in Italy.
updated on:
21 March, 2013 |
