In line with the global trend of integration and preservation of cultural assets and museums, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage (BOCH) organized a forum titled "LINKING: The Exchange Forum for International Organization of Cultural Preservation (鏈結：文化保存國際組織交流論壇)" on April 15 and 16, inviting members of relevant organizations as well as experts who actively participated in International Non-governmental Organizations (iNGO) in recent years to share their professional knowledge and experience.
At the opening ceremony of the forum, representatives from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH), the International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighborhoods of the Modern Movement (DOCOMOMO), IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN-WCPA), Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (APCONF), among others, addressed the ceremony through a pre-recorded video.
In the video, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te stated that local and foreign experts and scholars were invited in order to allow more opportunities for intercultural exchange between Taiwan and the global community. The world is facing extreme climate changes and the outbreak of a pandemic, it is necessary for Taiwan to share its experience as well as learn from the global community, in order to cope with unexpected situations. Minister Lee added we must unite as one to implement equal cultural rights and fight against cultural appropriation.
According to BOCH, the two-day forum covers the topic of sustainable development, equal cultural rights, digital transformation, and widening participation in cultural assets and museums. Through organizing this forum, BOCH hopes that it can spark a new cooperative model based on the existing achievements to preserve culture, in addition to promoting Taiwanese culture and outstanding talents to the international market.