Preserving diverse traditions and protecting historic relics is essential for promoting international culture.

And the just concluded annual gathering of a UNESCO-supported project endorsed the need for concerted efforts to stem the disappearance of traditional cultures worldwide.

Lack of adequate means and resources mean developing countries face the greatest challenges when it comes to preserving cultural heritage and promoting cultural diversity.

And yet it is very often these nations who boast a wealth of fine traditions and colorful cultures, said Katerina Stenou, director of the Division of Cultural Policy and Cultural Dialogue of UNESCO.

More than 150 delegates from 39 countries and six international organizations including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Council of Europe attended the two-day meeting in Shanghai.

At its conclusion 21 ministers of culture issued a statement calling for joint efforts by all nations to promote cultural diversity through the preservation of traditional cultures.

Discussions among delegates covered the rescue and protection of traditional cultures and the passing on of them to following generations in an increasingly globalized and a rapidly changing world.

The agreements were enshrined in the Shanghai Statement passed by the Seventh Annual Ministerial Meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP), which concluded on Saturday.

Co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Shanghai municipal government, the two-day event focused on the theme of "traditional cultures and modernization."

Next year's gathering will be held in Dakar, Senegal.

(China Daily October 18, 2004)