Fereydoun Mirzalou, director general of ICHTO's Department for Training and Support for Handicraft Production who attended the session, said “The annual meeting was supported by Malaysia’s Petronas (Malaysian oil and gas national company) which reveals the importance of crafts nowadays.”
He added that an encyclopedia of the region’s crafts is noteworthy which was suggested during the session and the members decided to launch a related website.
Talking about the 2016 session in Iran, he added “the significant event will indeed provide opportunities for our country’s crafts and tourism. Moreover Iran’s crafts can also be introduced to the world in a better way.”
The main objectives of the WCC-APR, according to its website, is to ensure the status in each country of the Asia Pacific Region as a vital part of the cultural scenario by developing and strengthening it.
It also aims to revive languishing crafts in these regions, improve the quality of life of the craftsperson of the Asia Pacific Region, enhance the quality of crafts, promote, develop, maintain, strengthen and ensure status of crafts as an important medium of artistic expression, serve as an agency of co-operation between member countries in general, offer technical assistance by training courses, workshops and financial assistance to craftspersons through the establishment of an Asia Pacific Craft Fund, disseminate knowledge by lectures, seminars, etc., and provide a network and fellowship among craftspersons of the various nations, and to ensure that they are in communication with each other.
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