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For the MET's report of the Sighisoara Conference, please click here
16 November 2004
The first International Conference for the Integrated Development of Sighisoara and the Saxon Villages of Transylvania, held under the patronage of HRH the Prince of Wales and The President of Romania on 15 and 16 November 2004 in the Town Hall of Sighisoara, agreed that Sighisoara and the Saxon villages and their cultural landscape are of world importance and are endangered.
The conference was launched with the message from HRH the Prince of Wales who expressed his strong support for all the conference initiatives. (Video message from HRH Prince of Wales)
HE Ms. Soknan Han Jung, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative and Ms. Jessica Douglas Home, Chairman of the Mihai Eminescu Trust, have presented their vision of social and economic development to the audience and restated the fruitful partnership between their two organisations towards integrated and sustainable development of Sighisoara and the Saxon villages area.
The message of Mr. Ion Iliescu, President of Romania, was presented by Mr. Victor Opaschi, Presidential Councillor, followed by encouraging messages from Mr. Alexandru Farcas, Minister of European Integration, Mr. Jonathan Scheele, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Romania, and Mr. Owaise Saadat, Country Manager, World Bank Romania.
The conclusions of the participants of this two-day conference are:
This area - the Saxon triangle roughly defined by the road Brasov, Sighisoara, Sibiu and its surroundings - deserves special attention and urgent action to foster the necessary sustainable economic development and to preserve the region's heritage.
They will continue to cooperate in order to secure funding aimed at:
* Local empowerment and capacity development to strengthen local governance (local authorities, civil society organisations);
* Heritage reinvigoration and agricultural and economic development (leading to job creation, education, and skills training to further social integration and economic growth);
* Statutory protection of the environmental and cultural heritage (this includes the development and implementation of their management plans).
To achieve these objectives, UNDP, MET, the Romanian Government and other willing institutions have decided to jointly coordinate efforts for the implementation of programmes/projects submitted to the Sighisoara conference, bearing in mind gender and minority considerations. They will do this together with the implementing partners as described in each project brief. The projects presented during this conference provide a pipeline of suitable initiatives that meet the pressing needs of the region.
The organisers express their gratitude for the positive response from the participants and immediate contributions/pledges to projects from HRH Prince of Wales, German World Heritage Foundation, UBS and the Packard Humanities Institute. |
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