Seminar on Vocational training for stone conservation in Cambodia.
28 April 2014
SIEM REAP, Cambodia–APSARA National Authority and GIZ recently organized a seminar on vocational training in stone conservation in Cambodia as part of a study to determine the annual demand of trained stone conservation experts inside and outside of Angkor Park and who might be interested in contributing to a long-term vocational training program for stone conservation.
Angkor is an outstanding UNESCO World Heritage site and people around the world are increasingly gaining awareness of the importance and its central role in the Khmer civilization. But there are many more ancient sites all over Cambodia that have not received comparable attention, as all temples of Angkor are in critical need of conservation. At present, the government of Cambodia is unable to suitably protect and preserve these sites due to a lack of sufficient financial and human resources.
Representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MOCFA), APSARA National Authority, national and international conservation teams working in Angkor, UNESCO, as well as private companies were invited to visit the facilities of the APSARA Stone Conservation Training Center and to attend the seminar held last month. The director general of APSARA, H.E. Bun Narith and other Excellencies and guests from APSARA, as well as GIZ country director, Mr. Adelbert Eberhardt also attended the meeting.
Representatives of the Ministry of Culture, APSARA Authority and international conservation teams visiting the APSARA Stone Conservation Training Center.
GIZ advisor Ms. Josephin Rösler and conservation expert Mr. Long Nary presented the study objectives and introduced participants to the APSARA Stone Conservation Training Program.
As part of the study, questionnaires were distributed to participants. The information gathered from this study will be used to determine if a long-term vocational training program for stone conservation is feasible for the future.
To ensure heritage site conservation is carried out in the best way possible in the future, all stakeholders will need to prioritize investing in vocational training. There will be a role for everyone to contribute to, including the government, international donors, as well as the private sector.
For more information, please contact: Josephin Rösler (email: [email protected])