Address

Mr Wang Gang
Director General of the State Archives Bureau

Ladies and gentlemen, dear Colleagues:

With the assistance of ICA Secretary General Mr Kecskemeti and through the common efforts of all participants, the Inaugural Conference of EASTICA has successfully achieved its goals by having adopted the Constitution of EASTICA, Resolutions of EASTICA, worked out the future working program, and elected the Executive Board.

The establishment of EASTICA opens a new chapter of the archival work in this region and provides a good opportunity and a new way for archivists to conduct professional exchanges, explore and resolve together the common problems we are facing, to enhance the level of archives management, and to promote the development of archival work in this region. I am confident that so long as we work together the archival profession of the East Asian region will have a prosperous future.

According to the working program we have approved at the Conference, our exchange and cooperation will be strengthened in eight respects, and the Second Conference of EASTICA and the Seminar on Modernizing Archives Management have been decided to be held simultaneously in April 1995. I'm sure there will be more archivists to participate in the Conference and Seminar.

The preparatory work of the Organizing Committee of the 13^th International Congress on Archives is in progress. We sincerely hope the preparations of the Congress will be supported by the archivists of the East Asian countries and territories. And I also wish that more archivists in the region will be able to present at the magnificent international archival congress hosted by China.

Dear colleagues, the establishment of EASTICA is a good beginning. But it is only a beginning. It is hoped that all its members could contribute their share in the spirit of active cooperation and initiative to the development of archival work in the region.

Now, I declare the successful closing of the Inaugural Conference. I sincerely wish our friendship and cooperation would be further strengthened and the archival work in this region be flourishing. And wish all of you had a pleasant journey home.

Thank you.