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12 Oct, 2016

Symposium to address World Heritage Committtee conservation concerns on Ayutthaya

Bangkok, UNESCO media release, Oct 12, 2016 – Thailand’s Fine Arts Department aims to address UNESCO World Heritage Committee concerns regarding recent conservation challenges faced by the Historic City of Ayutthaya site at an upcoming international symposium. The symposium, co-hosted by UNESCO, will address issues ranging from post-flood management to ensuring that standards of excellence in conservation practices are maintained.

The International Symposium on the Conservation of Brick Monument at World Heritage Sites will be held from 19 to 21 October 2016 at the Classic Kameo Hotel and Historic City of Ayutthaya World Heritage Site, Phra Nakorn Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. Supported financially by the governments of Thailand and the Netherlands, the symposium will offer national and international academics and conservation practitioners a platform to address modern challenges in conserving brick-associated heritage sites, including in transmitting the traditional knowledge, skills and materials needed for sustainable heritage protection.

Conservation experts from Cambodia, Viet Nam and India will share their conservation successes, with each section followed followed by a moderated discussion aimed at shaping multinational approaches and principles for Ayutthaya and Thailand’s other archaeological sites.

The symposium will conclude with specially formulated guidelines for Thai local agencies to adopt toward strengthening institutional and technical capacity in conserving this World Heritage Site.

Thailand’s Minister of Culture, representatives from the Embassy of the Netherlands, executives and experts from Thailand’s leading universities, international experts, Fine Arts Department professionals and UNESCO representatives will be among the more than 150 participants attending the event.

Myanmar field professionals working on the post-earthquake rehabilitation of the Bagan Archaeological Area and Monumentss site will also attend the symposium by invitation and with support from Thailand’s Fine Arts Department. They regard the opportunity to exchange information as vital in guiding them toward appropriate restoration approaches in Bagan.

The forum also includes a one-day field visit to various sites in the Historic City of Ayutthaya aimed at gathering expert opinions on current conservation practices.The symposium is conducted in two languages: English and Thai with simultaneous translation aids.

Symposium Venue: Classic Kameo Hotel Ayutthaya