The conference was organized by the Sicilian region through the Councelor's Office for Culture and Environmental Properties and the Regional Center for Planning and Restoration with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, sponzored by the Sicilian Region Government.

There were over 150 participants among professionals in the conservation and management of cultural properties at the Conference comming from 15 countries members of EU, 10 countries in way of being accepted, 3 candidate countries, 9 countries of the south Mediterranien coast and 5 Balkan countries.

Participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina:

            -Commission to Preserve National Monuments, Alisa Marjanović, associate for archeological sites and Mirela Mulalic Handan, Executive Officer

            -Faculty for Arcitecture, University of Sarajevo – Prof. Dr. Vjekica Sanković and Prof. Dr. Muhamed Hamidović, Dean.

Aim of the conference is to draw the attention of the European institutions on the need to implement the scale of the Cultural Properties on the current and future financial means of the European Union. 

Direct result of the Conference is Palermo's Declaration, as a contribution of those subjects directly involved in the planning stages with proposals for partnership pertinent to the thematic areas related to four workshops: research, training, education and local development.

14th November 2003.

Opening session

-          3 reports were submitted:

Report 1: «Conservation and fruition of cultural heritage in Mediterranean Partnerships» by Marie Paul Roudil, UNESCO

Topics: -intercultural dialogue, peace and tolerance

-focus on the report was put on partnership with Balkan countries, especially within program for safe guarding of heritage

-UNESCO is funding Interministerials conference in B&H in July 2004; Mostar has been put in focus as an agent for development; output of the conference will be to send a strong message of importance of heritage for reconciliation and economical development, with aim to build common strategy based on respecting diversity.

Report 2: «Training and human resources in the development of conservation of cultural heritage» , by T.Radwan from the Grand Museum of Egypt  and M.F.Rizzi, Director UNIMED

Report 3: «Partnership in the integrated planning of cultural heritage for the local development», by G.Imperatori, President CIVITA

15th November 2003.

4 paralel workshops

Workshop 1: Applied research for sustainable conservation and frution of cultural properties in the Mediterranean

The Sicilian regional Gaverment promotes a model for the management of their heritage. This model is shared by the various institutions of the Mediterranean  and is based on preventive preservation and on programmed upkeep which replaces the traditional policy of restauration.

A model of observation of heritage is proposed through the establishment of a Center of Research for the Sciences and Tchnology Applied to the Restoration and Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Mediterranean, through the creation of Euromediterranean Risk Map and throuhg the drawing the regions as the protagonists of a shared project.

Aim is to encourage: a) the creation of a net research experiences and of activities and projects on the preservation of our cultural heritage; b) a structure of shared knowledge to organize and manage information and experiences to preserve and utilize our cultural landscape; c) a systematic study of the materials and tehniques which allows to define protocols to maintain the cultural and enviromental heritage.

Workshop 2: «Training in the area of conservation of cultural property as a recovery of a common memory»

-need for proper analysis of the current situation of the conservation-restoration discipline and profession in the Mediterranean, based primarily on the experience and knowledge already gained within the conservation-restauration society in Europe as defined in the E.C.C.O. Guidlines and in the document of Pavia. The settings of standards for the conservation-restauration profession must be done by the profession itself. These task must be maintained and lead by E.C.C.O. as the European professional body.

Topics of the discussion:

-a fully recognised academic conservation-restoration discipline and thereby proffesion covering all categories of cultural property and taught at university level or recognizes equivalent

-a clear and transparent definition of the conservation-restoration discipline and its

professions.

Workshop 3: Cultural properties as a source of knowledge to renew a Mediterranean culture

Contens of educational processes on an international scale for the spreading of the Mediterranean culture affecting formal education courses (from primary school to university), and proposing new ways of divulgation of cultural resources so as to approach a much bigger audience to the subject and value of cultural property. That being accomplished trough the sharing of new examples of valorization and management of cultural properties, such as cultural districts and system interventions (archeological parks, literature, etc.)

Workshop 4: The role of cultural heritage in the local development

Cultural heritage represents an indisputable value and a top level resource that is competitive with regard to quality, distribution and conservation and maintenance levels in todays cultural and socio-economic structures, and as such is an all-important factor in the local development process.

Heritage becomes a possible lever, the «key idea» to be used as the foundation of the socio-economic cohesion and development strategy, espacially in the Euromediterranean area where it is heavily integrated in both a historical and geographical sense».

Afternoon session

-Relation on the 4 workshops (reports are available in hard copy)

-Presentation of the Declaration of Palermo. (Declaration is available in hard copy)

The Declaration will be brought to the attention of the 2nd inrternational regional conference on 28 and 29the November, 2003 in Palermo and it will produce elements for a Programmatic Document of the concerned Regions to be submitted to the Interministeral Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership which will be held in naples on the 4 and 5th December, at the end of the Semester of the Italian Presidency in the European Union.

16th November

-Round table: Experiences and development of Euro-Mediterranean programs concerning cultural heritage: strategy of interregional partnership.

Program Euromed heritage II: four projects were presented (Delta, Prodecom, Ikonos, Unimed cultural heritage II – information on projects is available in hard copy)

Platform for participation of the representatives of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, B&H

-to present the Commission as state institution of B&H, competent for the heritage and authorized to perform activities of internation cooperation related to heritage

-to stress the specific needs and priorities of B&H related to reconstruction due to the war destruction, in comparison to the other countries' prioritiy for conservation

-to present priorities defined by the Commission as possibilities for development of projects and building cooperation

Representatives of the Commission hed presentations at the following:

 Workshop 1:  Alisa Marjanović, theme: Heritage at risk.

-introduction of the Commission and its activities;

International campaign for protection of the most valuable endangered cultural property of B&H, with video presentation of 30 monuments from the List of endangered monuments established by the Commission. 

Workshop 4: Mirela M.Handan, theme: Integration of heritage into development plans,

-introduction of the Commission

- Integrated Rehabilitation Project Plan (RegProg SEE for heritage; EC/EU- Commission is a partner representing B&H) and Assessment Report (AR) as a tool for defining development plans

- Priorities (AR) defined by the Commission: establishing unique data base;  establishing unique law for protection of heritage on state level; enforcing the state level legislation for preventing the activities relating to endangered National Monuments - to include certain regulations considering cultural heritage into sector laws (habitation; urban planning; traffic, education; etc.); capacity building and focused education, ensuring the financial sources;  . International campaign for protection of the most valuable endangered cultural property, with video presentation of 3 priorities (Bridge in Višegrad, Old town Stolac, Fortress in Jajce).

Round table: strategy of interregional partnership,

Mirela M.Handan, focused presentation on:

a)Commission relation to the Annex 8. of DPA- and political dimension of heritage in relation to the  return process and rebuilding social cohesion;

b) possibilities for partnership of the Commission and B&H with Mediterranean countries within Archeosite project by IMED;

c) Values added to partnership: ci) specific needs and priorities of partners are to be integrated into common programs/projects (reconstruction of the heritage destructed by the war is the priority of B&H in comparison to the other countries priority for conservation of the heritage),

cii) equal partnership – inclusion of partners into decision-making process when making programs and plans

Some outcomes in relation to the Commission:

-          Piergiorgio Ramundo, from Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Italy; expresed his support to Archeosite project, as the only present project that open possibility to the Commission for partnering.

-          Anna Misiani, IMED, expressed posibilities of funding Archeosite project .

-          Ellen Schraudolpf, European Commission, was introduced with project proposal for Dig ARCHIVE and procceeded information for project application within EC activity DigiCULT (digital heritage and cultural content)

-          possibilitiy of organizing the exibition «Monuments at risk» by Hornemann Institute – Center for the preservation of worlds cultural heritage, Germany. Contact person: Angela Neyer, Director.

-          Dr. R. Albergoni, Vice Director, UNIMED; expresed willingnes for developing partnership with Commission within UNIMED projects