The 2024 International Forum on Taiwan Cultural Heritage was staged Sept. 25-26 at National Taiwan University in Taipei City, underscoring government efforts to strengthen international cooperation on cultural heritage management, preservation and promotion.
Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the event invited experts from Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the U.S. to join dialogues with domestic academics, experts, officials and representatives of civil society organizations. The guest experts are all members of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee.
The event kicked off with a session on nostalgia and sustainability. Fu Chao-ching, a winner of the country’s 43rd National Cultural Award, delivered a keynote speech and discussed international cases with ICOMOS attendees.
Other highlights included sessions exploring the preservation of cultural resources through the example of Alishan Forest Railway and probing the impact of youth entrepreneurship. Equally impressive was a panel on the spirit of international conventions and implementation of cultural heritage protections, as well as an exchange of revitalization strategies for military sites such as those in outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang Counties.
Minister of Culture Li Yuan noted during the forum that promoting cultural heritage is one of 12 items included in a program launched by the ministry earlier this year. The forum provides an opportunity to share international perspectives, he said, pledging to bring the country’s policies more in line with global trends while continuing to advance revitalization and sustainable stewardship of Taiwan’s cultural assets.
Following Li’s remarks, Chen Chi-ming, director-general of the MOC’s Bureau of Cultural Heritage, expressed his hope of adding Taiwan sites to the World Heritage List. ICOMOS President Teresa Patricio also delivered a speech via a prerecorded video, in which she said the exchange of ideas with Taiwan officials and experts and said it helps strengthen the organization’s work to preserve and promote global cultural heritage. (YCH-E)
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