Indonesia’s National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the country’s National Archaeology Research Centre on 10 February to support the preservation of culturally-valuable artefacts using radiation technology. The agreement, signed on the margins of an IAEA technical cooperation project coordination meeting, aims to strengthen collaboration between the country’s radiation experts and the staff of museums, art galleries and other authorities responsible for items of cultural value. It is one of the most recent achievements of the project[1], which is helping countries across Asia and the Pacific to use nuclear technology in the characterization, preservation and restoration of cultural heritage products.
The meeting, from 10 to 14 February in Bali, brought together 32 delegates from 20 Member States in the region to review the implementation of activities since the project’s launch in 2018. Delegates also discussed the coordination of capacity building efforts, and the promotion of greater cooperation with the archaeology and conservation sector. The project supports ongoing efforts to enhance the protection of cultural heritage artifacts in the Asia and Pacific region.
As with the wheel, codified laws and urban conurbations, the earliest examples of written literature appear to have originated in Asia. These documents, and other similarly treasured artifacts, represent a historical legacy which enriches humanity today, and which must be preserved for the benefit of future generations. The IAEA helps countries to use nuclear science and technology to examine, preserve and, if necessary, restore such relics.
