Significant documents of record recently produced and dealing with cultural property, heritage and related issues will be printed annually in the final issue (No. 4) of each numbered volume. Documents considered for publication may be national, regional, or international instruments and codes. Inquiries or suggestions regarding documentary materials may be addressed to the Chronicles Editor, Kurt Siehr, at 〈siehr@mpipriv-hh.mpg.de〉 or the Editor, Alexander Bauer, at 〈culturalproperty@cambridge.org〉.

The cornerstone of ICOM is the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums. It sets minimum standards of professional practice and performance for museums and their staff. In joining the organisation, ICOM members undertake to abide by this Code.

Conscious that cultural material forms a part of the world heritage and should be cherished and preserved for the benefit of all;

Thanking the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Albania and the UNESCO Venice Office, BRESCE, for the successful organization of this Meeting

The Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) has existed as an Affiliated Organisation of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) since 1998. PIMA and its members fully endorse and support the ICOM Code of Ethics. In addition, PIMA is proud to produce this specialised code for professional museum work particularly adapted to the values of Pacific Islands Museums and Cultural Centres.Please Note: This Code of Ethics was developed during a special session of the Pacific Museums in Sustainable Heritage Development Workshop, held at the Australian National University in Canberra during February 2006. The facilitation was expertly co-chaired by PIMA Executive Board Members, Lawrence Foana'ota (Director, Solomon Islands National Museum) and Ralph Regenvanu (Director, Vanuatu Cultural Centre) with the assistance of Bernice Murphy (Chair, ICOM Ethics Committee) and Professor Amareswar Galla (Director of Graduate Studies in Sustainable Heritage Development, The Australian National University and Vice President, ICOM). The Workshop was convened by the Pacific Asia Observatory for Cultural Diversity in Human Development and the Cross Cultural Taskforce of ICOM. For details visit: www.pacificasiaobservatory.org

Religion has inspired the creation of art throughout human history. Most religious works of art are not considered to be sacred objects. Instead, these works serve to express religious ideas, values or feelings. Some works of art are, however, considered sacred objects. While art museums are secular institutions, the acquisition, handling, treatment, and interpretation of works of art deemed to be sacred objects may warrant special consideration since these works possess multiple purposes as works of art and sacred objects.

The Getty Museum seeks to foster in a broad audience a greater appreciation and understanding of art by collecting and preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting works of art. Our collection is the principal means by which the Museum's mission is fulfilled, and the Museum is therefore committed to further developing the collection according to the highest ethical standards and in compliance with all applicable laws.

AGREEMENT

This conference brought together some 200 academics and administrators concerned with Mediterranean prehistory, history, and heritage. It was conceived and organized by Sophia Antoniadou, curator of the Pierides Museum, and Anthony Pace, superintendent of Cultural Heritage of Malta, who have also edited the proceedings, published in 2007. It was sponsored by the Pierides Foundation of Cyprus with the collaboration of the Foundation of the Hellenic Greek World, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Malta, the Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy, and the Centre de Recherches en Arts, Images et Formes of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne of France; and support came from the Culture 2000 program of the European Union, the Greek Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Cyprus Tourism Organisation. Following an introductory lecture by Professor Harry Tzalas on Greek ships and seamanship, participants heard and discussed 40 papers by speakers from a dozen countries on topics ranging from pottery and mortuary practices to trade, shipping, identity, and heritage.

The World Archaeological Congress' 2nd Indigenous Intercongress, The Uses and Abuses of Archaeology for Indigenous Peoples, convened between November 8 and 12, 2005, at the University of Auckland and Waipapa Marae to examine issues relating to and concerned with indigenous peoples and their past. The organization committee included coconvenors Dr. Joe Watkins, Dr. Caroline Phillips, and Dr. Des Kahotea along with Academic Program Chair Stephanie Ford and Conference Administrator Margaret Rika-Heke. The first Intercongress, on Archaeological Ethics and the Treatment of the Dead, was held in 1989 in Vermillion, South Dakota, and focused on the topics of reburial and repatriation. The Vermillion Accord on the treatment of human remains, an outgrowth of that conference, forms one of the primary ethics documents for the World Archaeological Congress, by which members of the WAC agree to abide in conjunction with the WAC First Code of Ethics.

Over the past decade, tribal leaders, archivists, and librarians in the United States and Canada have expressed an interest in improving existing relationships and developing new relationships with nontribal institutions that hold American Indian archival material. In April 2006 a group of 19 Native American and non-Native American archivists, librarians, museum curators, historians, and anthropologists gathered at Northern Arizona University Cline Library in Flagstaff, Arizona. The participants included representatives from 15 Native American, First Nation, and Aboriginal communities. The group met to identify best professional practices for culturally responsive care and use of American Indian archival materials.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican Center of Uniform Law, under the auspices of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) based in Rome, organized an international seminar in Mexico City from September 6 to 8, 2006. The purpose of the seminar was to evaluate how efficiently international conventions protecting cultural objects. The seminar was attended mostly by Latin American colleagues and the secretaries of culture and general directors of cultural institutes of the Mexican Federal States.

The first regional conference on integrative protection, entitled Cultural Landscape: A Modern Approach to the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage in the Balkans, was held in Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on October 30 to November 1, 2006. The conference was organized by European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD) of the University for Peace established by the United Nations with support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Republican Institute for Protection of Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage, Banja Luka, and the City of Banja Luka. More than 100 participants attended the conference, which consisted of papers on various issues prepared by experts from the Balkan region.

Book notes.

Chronicles 2005 (January 1, 2005–December 31, 2005).