The 12th International Conference of National Trusts, organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Hotel Ashok on December 3 and will end on December 5.

“Conservation of heritage and cultures is an important global issue and has been brought to the fore by the increasing impact of globalisation,” said SK Misra, Chairman, INTACH on Sunday. According to INTACH Director (projects) Bindu Manchanda, “Delhi was chosen as the venue due to the rich heritage all around us.”

Some of the issues to be addressed at the conference include the problem of protecting culture in a world without boundaries, conservation of heritage in regions of conflict, during natural disasters and the linkage between heritage and education.

The first such conference to be held in the subcontinent, it will be attended by conservation specialists from 53 countries, most of which are developing nations like Uganda, Mongolia, Serbia, Albania, Peru and Bhutan.

Also on the agenda is the formation of a new body—the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) —which will be launched by Vice-President Hamid Ansari on December 3. “It is body that will create a cohesive framework for protecting and promoting the world’s cultural and natural heritage through public involvement,” said Misra.