Signing Ceremony between the Federal Republic of Germany and UNESCO
for the Safeguarding of the Borobudur Temple
Remarks by Prof. Hubert Gijzen, PhD
Director and Representative, UNESCO Office, Jakarta
Borobudur
July 03, 2013
Distinguished guests:
Mrs. Heidrun Temple, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia
H.E. Prof. Wiendu Nuryanti, Vice-Minister for Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture
Mr. Marsis Sutopo, Head of the Conservation Office Borobudur (BCO), Ministry of Education and Culture
Mr. Purnomo Siswoprasetjo, President Director, PT. Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko
Selamat Pagi,
I am very pleased to participate in this signing ceremony here today at the foot of the magnificent Borobudur Temple. It is always inspiring to be here at this location with such a long and interesting history.
I would like to begin by thanking Ibu Wiendu for her dedication and hard work in the preservation of Indonesian cultural heritage and for taking the time from your busy schedule to attend the event today. I would also like to express UNESCO’s appreciation to the Ministry of Education and Culture, especially the Borobudur Conservation Office under Pak Marsis, for your ongoing commitment and proactive approach in the preservation of the World Heritage listed Borobudur Temple Compounds.
Thanks also go to Pak Purnomo for the good work of PT. Taman Wisata in supporting the conservation of the temple and in efforts to share benefits of this World Heritage Site with the wider community around Borobudur.
I would also like to sincerely thank Mrs. Heidrun Temple, from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Indonesia, for the generous support of Germany for the safeguarding of Borobudur and for participating in this signing ceremony today
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We vividly remember the late 2010 volcanic eruption of Mt Merapi, and the consequent casualties and severe damages it caused, including to the Borobudur temple compounds. Since 2011 the Federal Republic of Germany has contributed to conservation activities at Borobudur, resulting in a number of significant conservation, research and capacity building achievements.
This year the Federal Republic of Germany announced a further contribution for the safeguarding of the Borobudur temple, highlighting Germany’s strong commitment to support the Indonesian government’s efforts to conserve this magnificent temple. This is indeed what the spirit of world heritage reflects in its overarching criterion for nomination, which is that of “outstanding universal value” and therefore shared heritage of humanity. If indeed a site is of universal value, it is also a joint responsibility for all to help in preserving it. This has been the spirit of cooperation also during earlier restorations of the Borobudur, notable the major restoration of 1972 – 1983, coordinated by UNESCO. At that time some 27 countries from all over the world came together to provide voluntary contributions; interestingly, these contributions did not only come from the traditional donors, but also from Indonesia itself, and from developing countries such as Tanzania.
The same spirit of solidarity and cooperation was showcased yet again late 2010 when the Borobudur and wider surroundings suffered enormously from a major eruption of Mt Merapi. With the help of the ‘Friends of Borobudur’ support was pledged from a wide range of countries, NGOs, individuals, and private sector. The government of Germany was one of the generous contributors.
Past funding from Federal Republic of Germany has been utilized to bring experts from Germany and Japan in the field of stone conservation and structural analysis to Borobudur to assess the state of conservation of the precious stone reliefs, develop conservation methods for the temple and to undertake expert training with the Borobudur Conservation Office.
I am very pleased that some of the experts are here with us today. I would like to acknowledge Dr Hans Leisen, Dr Esther Von Plehwe-Leisen, Dr. Bernd Niedringhaus and Dr. Mike Böge for their dedicated work in the project and for their willingness to share their vast expertise for the benefit of Borobudur.
The actions and research activities undertaken have already produced a number of valuable results, including a range of stone conservation measures, as well as the preliminary training of around 80 heritage professionals and community members through stone conservation workshops held in January 2012 and October 2012.
Despite these achievements, Borobudur still faces a number of significant conservation challenges. There are issues regarding the deterioration of the stone and overall structure of the temple that needed further investigation and action. The new phase of German funding will used to respond to these challenges, bringing international experts to Borobudur to work closely with the Borobudur Conservation Office staff to continue the valuable conservation research and activities.
In closing, I would like to acknowledge again the generous support of the Federal Republic of Germany for the preservation of Borobudur and for the ongoing cooperation with Ibu Wiendu and her Ministry.
This partnership between the Indonesian government, the Federal Republic of Germany and UNESCO will help to ensure the long-term conservation of Borobudur for generations to come and we look forward to continuing this close and fruitful partnership in the future.
Terima Kasih.