ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/08/07 2 April 2007
Cultural Heritage Cooperation
INTACH and “AusHeritage” sign MoU
AusHeritage, Australia's peak heritage network, and INTACH have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on cultural heritage initiatives.
The MoU, signed at the inaugural session of a three-day Australia-India seminar on "Managing and Conserving Cultural Heritage" in Delhi today, will expand the collaboration between AusHeritage and INTACH to work together more closely in South Asian and South East Asia regional initiatives.
“The MoU between AusHeritage and INTACH signals the close and growing collaboration between our two countries in preserving cultural heritage. AusHeritage, Australia's international network for heritage services, has worked with INTACH and other Indian institutions on several projects, including workshops and training sessions, in recent years," said Mr John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India.
“AusHeritage and INTACH heritage practitioners have a strong history of collaborations as they learn from each other in preserving our valuable past for future generations,” said Mr Vinod Daniel, Chair, AusHeritage.
“The memorandum of understanding is a result of the close working relationship between the two organisations and will be of huge benefit as we learn and support each other,” said Mr Daniel.
Fifteen senior Australian heritage management experts are in India to participate in the AusHeritage-INTACH seminar from 2-4 April to share heritage conservation management expertise and experiences. This is the largest delegation of Australian heritage experts to visit India.
"The seminar will have a focus on 'Cultural Collections' as part of a strategic framework," added Mr Daniel.
The AusHeritage-INTACH seminar is being organised with support from the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council (AICC) and the Australia-India Council (AIC). Established by the Australian Government, the AIC supports collaborative initiatives in a range of areas of mutual concern, including in heritage conservation.
AusHeritage is Australia’s international network for cultural heritage services. Its members include Australian universities, national collecting institutions, State galleries, libraries and museums, private architectural firms and private and government conservation services.
AusHeritage has taken up several initiatives in India, including in providing support for developing a new exhibition gallery at the Chhatrapati Shivaji (Prince of Wales) Museum in Mumbai; organising strategic workshops on Caring of Collection against Disasters and Pests; as well as working closely with several Indian private and government cultural heritage organisations.