Mr. Chairman,

Let me first of all thank you for hosting our meeting and for your kind welcome and generous hospitality. Shanghai is a fascinating and vibrating city and provides a splendid setting for the meeting.

Mr Chairman, I would like to commend you on your interesting survey on traditional culture and modernisation. This survey points to some relevant perspectives when it comes to international cooperation in this field.

The concepts “traditional culture” and “modernisation” are complex. When I read the report, I was glad to see to what extent we shared a common understanding of both the concepts and of the relationship between traditional culture and modernisation.

The survey also indicates that we have different views on some matters. I would like to stress the importance of these differences on the impacts of modernisation on traditional culture.

Developed countries focus primarily on the positive impacts. However, the Norwegian view is that the impacts are both negative and positive. Negative in the sense that some cultural expressions, traditions and knowledge might disappear. Positive in the sense that some of these traditions are revitalised.

I should also like to point to the different views of traditional culture. Formerly, traditional culture was viewed as limited in scope, a clearly distinct entity separate from what we call modernity. In the more modern view however, traditional culture is not static. It is constantly changing, dynamic and modified to meet new conditions.

Developing countries focus more on the negative impacts as they see traditional cultures facing the danger of being damaged or even disappearing. This illustrates the very different challenges faced by developed and developing countries. It also indicates a serious dilemma.

Development of cultural heritage through modern means could offer opportunities especially for developing countries facing the most difficult challenges. But the opportunities are not occurring in a balanced way.

On the one hand, developing countries can’t make use of all the better conditions further modernisation could provide. They don’t have the economic conditions, technologies or communication methods for the protection and use of cultural resources. On the other hand, these countries feel the pressure from modernisation and globalisation more strongly. Their cultural traditions are more vulnerable because they do not have these means.

Culture plays a more important role in global exchange and economy. In this situation, we have to focus on the imbalance of opportunities between developed and developing countries. The question of how to vitalise traditional cultures in the course of modernisation is important for all member states. But it is substantial for developing countries.

Mr Chairman, in this global perspective, I do share the conclusion in your report. Globalisation of communication systems and of trade puts national or community-related cultural traditions under pressure. International cooperation is therefore essential in seeking consensus on the need for methods of securing cultural diversity and the variety of traditional cultures this diversity reflects. The most important question is how the preservation and development of traditional culture can turn into a sustained and large-scale cooperation in an international framework.