PHT Newsletter Issue 94

International National Trusts Organization
Conference for Asian Partnership of National Trusts
23rd May 2008, Seoul, Korea

by Magdeline Ng

As a follow-up to the first conference held in India in December 2007, the National Trust of Korea hosted this conference for participants to discuss and learn from each other under the theme of Creative Asia in making heritage sustainable. I represented PHT at the conference.

The International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) launched at the 12th International Conference of National Trusts in New Delhi is a network of conservation bodies with responsibility for intangible and tangible heritage -- both cultural and natural -- with a mission to promote the conservation and enhancement of the heritage of all nations for the benefit of the people. The founder-directors of INTO are Oliver Maurice and Geoffrey Read from the UK.

INTO Charter: "our members are independent, non-governmental, charitable, educational, not-for-profit, membership-based or like organization that has a principal purpose the conservation, enhancement, or promotion of cultural or natural heritage".

Participants from Taiwan, Japan, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as local and private sector representatives, attended the Conference. As part of the programme, we were taken on a tour of Seoul and three historical sites that were restored and managed by the National Trust of Korea, followed by a welcoming dinner.

The Conference emphasized the role of INTO to enhance the following issues:

1. Strengthening communication network through newsletter, mailing list and regular meeting
2. Empowering the heritage law enforcement from international side
3. Facilitating the exchange of some detail technical knowledge in heritage field through training/workshop, education, joint-project, etc

Both Badan Warisan Malaysia and Penang Heritage Trust represented Malaysia and presented individually our views on preserving heritage and our work, and in keeping with the theme "Creative Asia", shared with participants our heritage education work.

The Conference ended with a formal dinner at the former residence of the President of Korea hosted by the Co-Chair of the National Trust of Korea. Several speeches and notes of thanks were given by VIPs at the dinner and the participants and organizers bade farewell to a successful conference.