PRESS RELEASE

9th General Assembly - Turin - 31st January/1st February 2003

The importance of Mediterranean culture was emphasized today in Turin, by the convergence of the peoples of the Mediterranean within the architectural fraternity. The deaf noise of the war-cannons did not deter all the members of UMAR from attending, regardless of political tensions.

The Union of Mediterranean Architects (UMAR) wishes to express its gratitude to the ‘Ordine degli Architetti di Torino’ (OAT) for the hospitality and organisation of the event.

It notes with satisfaction the efforts by OAT to broaden its range of involvement from the purely local
Level to a regional and even an international one, not least by the important task of hosting the UIA Assembly in 2008. In this respect UMAR expresses its hope that the OAT will, as of now, find the support of local authorities, constituted bodies and the key economic players of the local community, to achieve its goal of successfully organising what is in effect not just a meeting of the world architectural profession, but an event which can contribute effectively to the efforts of the city of Turin to restructure its image from that of an important industrial centre to one of a charming urban area which has much to offer by way of architectural, cultural and historical attractions.

The active involvement of the Order of Architects of Turin - a city geographically, politically, and historically linked more to the transalpine region than to the Mediterranean basin - is a clear sign of the
effects of globalisation on the manner by which architects practice their profession and which emphasizes the need for them to extend their area of interest and interaction.

UMAR augurs that the widening of communication and contact between architects will lead to peace and prosperity within the Mediterranean region and beyond.

David P.Pace
Secretary - General -UMAR

1st February 2003