It kicked off Wednesday with Prime Minister Sam Hinds offering his own brand of expertise on how he sees the Caribbean surmounting the many challenges associated with the subject matter at reference.

In the main address at the opening session of the three-day meet themed 'Caribbean Wooden Treasures' at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, Mr. Hinds, a Chemical Engineer by profession, said that not only will the region need to shore up its networking capacity, which was partly what the meeting was all about anyway, but it has to joint funding as well for its preservation activities, in light of the negligible response such projects attract from international donor agencies and financial institutions.

"The region will need, of necessity, to strengthen its capacity to network amongst countries and agencies so as to ensure that available information and technical expertise are shared.

"Developing countries will need to foster opportunities for joint international efforts to fund the activities associated with historic preservation. We shall have to learn to work together on an equitable basis in order to prepare strong lobbies so as to garner access to funds which are, or may be, available," he told the early morning gathering which comprised representatives from CARIMOS (Agency for Monuments and Sites of the Wider Caribbean), the Paris-based World Heritage Centre, the UNESCO regional offices, in addition to participants drawn from across the Caribbean region.

Noting that because of financial constraints many a poor developing country like Guyana often has to choose between meeting the immediate needs of its people and wanting to conserve and preserve its cultural heritage, he said: "The challenge here is not that there isn't recognition or a desire to preserve that which is intrinsically part of our heritage, our pride and our national identity, but rather, how to find the human and financial resources to do so."

He made the point, too, that not only is the aforementioned challenge further exacerbated in times of global recession, such as we are seeing today, but that the crime wave currently dogging the Caribbean region will force many a country to make strengthening their law and order systems a priority, thereby cutting back on any funding that may be available to other sectors such as heritage preservation.

This being the case, he feels there is need "to focus, in a concerted manner, on the development of human resources, [in areas] as diverse as research and training in traditional timber-working skills, conservation, enhanced technical skills in engineering and architecture, marketing and cultural tourism."

Mr. Hinds warned, however, that this concerted development of human resources can only come about if there is a ready pool of funds to cover such training over the next 10 years, and the capacity to retain those skills in the region.

Another area he sees as needing special attention is that which relates to the involvement of the broader society, especially the peoples of those communities in which potential heritage sites are located.

While programmes which focus on education and awareness will be a necessary requirement, he said it ought to be taken into account that communities see themselves as being stakeholders in any activity involving their particular neighbourhood, which feeling of propriety not only lends well to cultivating a sense of pride and belonging but also provides economic opportunities critical to any long-term endeavour at preserving and conserving our tangible and intangible heritage.

And, since not all of a country's wooden heritage may be public property, he strongly advocates the development of partnerships with those organisations, particularly religious bodies that are custodians of key and significant historical wooden architecture.

In light of the fact that many of these valuable structures at reference are in danger of falling into ruin, he feels that developing a modus vivendi will go a long way in helping develop skills to access technical and financial resources within the national framework and at the international level through many linkages not available to governments.

Noting in conclusion that ultimately, the solution will have to lie in the intervention and partnership of various stakeholders - such as the government, the legislature, academia, the scientific community and technical personnel just to name a few, he said: "Clearly, it is the dynamic interaction among these groups which shall produce the methods and measures needed to initiate and sustain the task of preserving our wooden urban heritage for many generations to come."

Head of the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, Mme Helene-Marie Gosselin, who also shared the Prime Minister's concern about how globalisation and trade liberalisation affect developing countries, though for a vastly different reason, commented on the timeliness of the meeting.

"I say timely because it comes at a time when globalisation forces the developing world to recognise their cultural assets as major contributors to sustainable development - especially through tourism."

Despite the recent and ongoing effects of international terrorism, she said, tourism still remains one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with the Caribbean still holding fast to its reputation of being among the most frequented destinations.

However, she said, recent studies have shown a shift in trends - "that today's visitor is not simply enthralled by the natural attributes of the country, but increasingly wants a cultural experience."

Noting that this new flair in travel is reflective of the socio-historical influences that define the unique qualities of the country and its people, Gosselin said that the Caribbean - through its particular historical role as the gateway to the New World of the Americas, and the nations which came from around the globe, whether willingly or unwillingly, to become citizens - is undoubtedly the world's first pluralistic society.

A fact that was never more evident than in the diversity of cultures that co-exist in the region today, Gosselin said its wide variety of architectural forms bears further tangible witness to this phenomenon, which same point had earlier been made by both historian and Chairman of the National Trust (Guyana), Dr James Rose, and Foreign Minister Dr Rudy Insanally when they each referred briefly to the rich influence colonisation has on today's Caribbean architecture.

She sees, however, the appearance in 1986 of the coffee-table book, 'Caribbean Style' as being a significant turning point for Caribbean architecture, in that the exquisite photographs displayed therein "brought home to the general public the unique aesthetic and functional beauty of Caribbean dwelling places of all sorts and that special quality of life for which the region is so famous."

Today, she said, several popular magazines and publications present to the world, and as a consequence, potential tourists, the wonders of Caribbean living.

As to the purpose of the meeting, aptly convened under the title 'Thematic Expert Meeting on Wooden Heritage', she said the expectation was that it will outline the implications of preserving and restoring historic wooden architecture and ensembles remaining in cities, with respect to strengthening cultural identity, and by relating it to the social context and functional needs.

In addition, she said, it was hoped that such a meet will contribute to a regional strategy on the role of sustainable development and tourism that world heritage nominations and inscriptions bring to the process.

According to Mr Ron van Oers of the World Heritage Centre, the overarching purpose of the meeting, which came under the Centre's Global Strategy Action Plan for the Wider Caribbean and was the third of its kind since 1996, was to facilitate and improve protection and conservation of important heritage sites in the Caribbean, so that eventually they can be registered as World Heritage.

Among countries the conservation challenges of which were examined during the conference were host country, Guyana, which had the largest delegation; neighbouring Suriname; Antigua; the Dominican Republic; Dominica; and Trinidad & Tobago.