The transformation of the national history museum in albania

Tirana, March 2010

MDG

MDG MDG ACHIEVEMENT FUND

United NationsALBANIA

United NationsUnited Nations

The Transformation of the National History Museum in Albania

Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps by the Advisory Board

Endorsed by the Advisory Board for the National History Museum

Director of Publication: Engelbert Ruoss Editorial Board: Lauren Bohatka, Zhulieta Harasani, Wally Merotto, Siniša ŠešumMain contributor: Katerina NikolaidouOther contributors: Carlo Benedetti, Lauren Bohatka, Dasara Dizdari, Damir Dijakovic, Stephan Doempke, Zhulieta Harasani, Entela Lako, Wally Merotto, Iris Pojani, Engelbert Ruoss, Siniša Šešum, Norimasa ShimomuraEnglish language revision by: Lauren Bohatka

This document is also available online at: http://cultureandheritagealbania.org

This document was elaborated by UNESCO Venice Office within the framework of the joint programme, “Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development”, implemented jointly by UNESCO and UNDP, and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Albania. Under the overall supervision of the UN Resident Coordinator, Gülden Türköz-Cosslett, the joint programme is financed by the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, represented by H.E. Manuel Montobbio, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Achievement Fund.

The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this publication and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the UNESCO Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of their authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries.

Requests for permission to reproduce all or parts of this document must be directed in writing to:

UNESCO Venice OfficeAttn: Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) UnitPalazzo ZorziCastello 4930Venice, Italy 30122

Published in Tirana, Albania©2010

SPO/IT/2010/ME/PI/5

http://cultureandheritagealbania.org

The Transformation of the National History Museum in Albania

Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps by the Advisory Board

Table of ContentsBackground Information............................................................................................................................7

Establishment of International Scientific Advisory Board (AB) for NHM..............................8

Documentation and Reporting.....................................................................................................10

Recommendations of the Advisory Board............................................................................................12

List of recommendations................................................................................................................12

Further discussion on the refurbishment of the entrance hall.................................................15

Further discussion on collections management........................................................................15

Refurbishment of exhibition.........................................................................................................16

Restructuring management and enhancing the capacities of human resources...................18

Starting a communication and fund-raising plan......................................................................21

Development of NHM policies.....................................................................................................22

Annex: Approved minutes and recommendations of the Advisory Board meetings....................23

Minutes of the 1st Advisory Board session, 03 July 2009...........................................................24

Summary note by the chair of the first meeting of the Advisory Board, 03 July 2009.........33

Minutes of the 2nd Advisory Board session, 07-08 September 2009........................................36

Conclusions and Recommendations of the 2nd session of the Advisory Board,

07-08 September 2009.....................................................................................................................43

Minutes of the 3rd Advisory Board session, 24-25 November 2009.........................................45

Ad-hoc Conclusions and Recommendations based on the Asbestos and Seismic/Structural

assessments, February 2010..........................................................................................................53

7B a c k g r o u n d I n f o r m a t i o n

Background Information

Albania has been described as the last secret of Europe. Almost unknown internationally, its rich

and diverse cultural heritage is undervalued within the country, much of it having been suppressed or neglected during the long years of isolation. Today’s reality is very different: two current, and three potential, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are complemented by extremely valuable intangible cultural heritage, which testify to the meeting of different peoples and civilizations, and a history of harmonious coexistence over nearly three millennia.

This peaceful multicultural coexistence presents Albania with a unique opportunity: to utilize its culture as an instrument in shaping its new national identity, as its government, economy and people move away from isolation to a greater participation on the world’s stage. This identity is central to social and economic renewal and growth, both at home and abroad. As the image of Albania returns to a more stable and positive one, Albania’s diverse heritage can be exploited for not just social and economic development, but for human development as well. However, fundamental changes still need to occur at all levels of government and society for Albania’s new national identity to be recognized as interrelated with culture. Most importantly, there is a lack of awareness of how culture can be used as a tool for sustainable development, and conversely, how such development can be used as a catalyst for culture.

The Joint Programme “Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development” (CHSED) was primarily designed to achieve outcomes derived from the national priorities of Albania that are consistent with the Millennium Development Goals and the One UN programme, approved by the Albanian Government in October 2007. Sectoral priorities for culture and culture-related issues in Albania focus predominantly on rehabilitating cultural monuments, with a secondary priority for leveraging Albania’s culture as a tourist attraction. Joint programme outcomes were designed to expand these two concerns to meet wider development objectives.

As the lead agency in charge of culture in Albania, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports is the primary implementing partner for this joint programme of activities between UNDP and UNESCO. Other national government bodies, such as the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Institute of Cultural Monuments and the National Tourism Organization, are involved as implementing partners. Other actors, such as civil society organizations, universities, municipalities and the private sector, also contribute towards the achievement of these joint programme outcomes.

The Joint Programme was built upon five achievable results, and based on national, sub-national and sectoral priorities for culture and development:

1. Achieve a transparent and accountable government, developing and implementing effective national policies on culture and cultural-related issues

2. Create an enabling environment to ensure people’s access to cultural heritage and participation in cultural heritage decision-making at the local, regional and national levels

3. Increase capacities to manage, preserve and present cultural heritage and cultural industries in an efficient, transparent, accountable and equitable manner

4. Assure an increased role of cultural heritage in social and economic opportunities and in engaging community participation in regional and local development strategies

5. Promote an increased awareness of Albania’s cultural heritage internationally as a means to promote cultural understanding and religious tolerance

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The flagship activity for the CHSED Joint Programme will be the transformation of the National History Museum in Tirana into a modern cultural institution. One key activity to this is to: “Establish a management and governance structure for a “world-class” National History Museum” (Activity 2.1.1).

In order to accelerate progress on these two activities, the Joint Programme has established an international Advisory Board to lead the visioning and planning processes on the National History Museum with

the support of an international museum expert, who would provide documentation and elaborate reports on the major issues surrounding the NHM to further the discussions and decisions of the Advisory Board. The Joint Programme Management Team has also contributed its support to these vital processes. This final report, prepared by the museum expert, will summarize and elaborate on the major findings and recommendations of the Advisory Board, for use as a final decision-making tool by the Government of Albania and the UN Agencies that are substantially and financially accountable for the implementation of the activities in the CHSED Joint Programme.

Establishment of International Scientific Advisory Board (AB) for NHM

Within the framework of the UN Joint Programme „Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic

Development“, implemented by UNESCO and UNDP, under the authority of UNESCO, an International Scientific Advisory Board of the National History Museum of Tirana (NHM) was established for an

initial period of 18 months starting from the date of its first meeting (03 July 2009). The rights and responsibilities of any other bodies or commissions duly established under Albanian Law have remained unaffected.

The tasks of the Scientific Advisory Board are:

1.To develop a new concept for the National History Museum of Tirana, taking into consideration the wider system of museums in Tirana and Albania;

2. To propose a comprehensive system of governance, management and financing for the NHM;

3. To propose a detailed room plan for the museum building, atrium and immediate vicinity;

4. To propose changes in the interior architecture and design of the NHM;

5.To propose acquisitions of equipment to be made for conservation, presentation, management, safety and security of the objects and exhibitions of the NHM;

6. To propose facilities, services, programmes , equipment and technology for visitor services in the NHM;

7.To make any other recommendations or to provide advice related to the long-term development of the NHM.

The Advisory Board, while acting independently, has completed its tasks in consultation with the Scientific Council of the NHM and the Albanian

National Commission for Museums. In its capacity, the Advisory Board shall:

• Set up a time and work plan for the completion of its tasks• Define the criteria for any designs to be conducted • Approve the specifications with a view to calling for tenders• May be requested to take part in the evaluation of the submitted proposals and offers • Assist with the monitoring of the works• Approve of the works completed under its mandate.


The Board is composed of 7 members serving in their personal capacity, five of them international experts and two of them Albanian experts, one ex officio representative of UNESCO Office in Venice, and one ex officio representative of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. The members of the Board are appointed jointly by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Albania and the Director of UNESCO Office in Venice, after consultation with the national authorities.

1 As Mr. Luan Malltezi was appointed to be the new Director of the NHM in November 2009, Mrs. Valentina Duka, Historian, has replaced him in his capacities on the Advisory Board.

The term of office of the members is eighteen months, and subject to extension or renewal. The members of the Board are chosen for their competence in the fields of museology, museum management, history, archaeology, ethnography, museum architecture, engineering, museum didactics or heritage conservation management. The Chairman of the Board, or a majority of its members, may invite observers to attend a session of the Board, whenever he/they deem necessary.

The members of the Advisory Board are:

• Mr. Julien Anfruns, Director – General of ICOM, Paris, France• Mr. Fiorenzo Galli, Director – General, Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Technologia, Milano,

Italy• Mr. Ulrike Kretzschmar, Director of Exhibition Department, German Historical Museum (GHM),

Berlin• Mr. Ilber Ortayli, President of the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey• Mr. Josef Ramoneda, Director of the Centre of Contemporary Culture, Barcelona, Spain• Mr. Luan Malltezi, Historian at the Centre of Albanology Studies, Tirana, Albania1

• Mr. Ilirian Gjipali, Head of ICOM, Tirana, Albania• Mr. Engelbert Ruoss, UNESCO representative (Ex officio)• Mr.Ols Lafe, MCTYS representative (Ex officio)

Suggestions and recommendations of the Board on the preparation of activities require a majority vote of present members. Decision and final approval will require the majority vote of all members of the Board. The required quorum for the holding of a session is 4 voting members.

The Board will convene in ordinary session every four months. Extraordinary sessions will be organized if required by the chairman or a majority of the members of the Board. The request for an extraordinary session has to be made to the Secretariat, which has to follow the request. The Secretariat shall set dates of the session in consultation with the members of the board. Invitations to the sessions must be sent by the Secretariat in writing (e-mail or regular mail) no less than six weeks before the first day of the session.The Advisory Board may also convene and take decisions through telephone or video conferences. Regulations concerning the dates and invitations are the same as for physical meetings. The Secretariat of the Board is ensured by the UNESCO Office in Venice in cooperation with the Coordinator of the UN Joint Programme.

The Board adopts its Rules of Procedure by a majority vote of at least five members, and any amendment or modification to these rules must be adopted under the same conditions. The working language of the Advi-sory Board is English.

Upon taking up their duties and for the duration of their term of office, the members of the Advisory Board may not be personally involved in expert evaluations or the submission of tenders and applications related to the projects for the reconfiguration of the National History Museum. They may not issue any statement or press release without the prior authorization of the Chairman of the Board and shall be subject to the obligations of reserve incumbent on them by reason of their functions.

Between sessions of the Advisory Board, ad-hoc groups and individual missions of the Members of the Advisory Board can be established at the request of the Chairman in order to respond to emergency or specific needs of the project. These groups and members on mission must submit written reports to UNESCO, with a copy to the Chairman of the Board no later than two weeks before the regular sessions.

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During their terms of office, the members of the Advisory Board will not receive any fees or other financial benefit from the Programme. During ordinary and extraordinary sessions of the board, or ad hoc missions of individual members, only for

Documentation and Reporting

those coming outside of Tirana, UNESCO will cover the cost of DSA (Daily Subsistence Allowance) and pre-paid round plane tickets according to UNESCO rules and regulations for official travels on mission.

From June to December 2009, several reports on the reorganization of the National History

Museum in Tirana, Albania were commissioned by UNESCO Venice Office in the context of the MDG-F UN Joint Programme “Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development”. These reports address the Joint Programme’s flagship activity in Albania to transform the National History Museum in Tirana into a modern cultural institution.

The work undertaken so far for achieving the above-mentioned goal was related to acquiring a full picture of the existing situation, identifying the most important needs and gaps, and providing concrete suggestions for improvement. All of this information was then presented to the Advisory Board for this activity, to further their discussions and recommendations to the Government of Albania.

Five reports have resulted from this endeavor:

1. Background Study on the National History Museum in Tirana, Albania

2. Needs Assessment on the National History Musem in Tirana, Albania

3. Suggestion on a New Governance and Management Structure for the National History Museum of Albania

4. Concept framework suggestion for the reorganization of the NHM

5.The Transformation of the National History Museum: Recommendations and Proposed Next Steps of the Advisory Board (this report)

The Background Study was prepared by a locally-based UNESCO Consultant, which presented the legal and operational status of the museum, and enabled the identification and assessment of needs for improvement.

The Needs Assessment aimed in identifying the particular areas in which the activity of NHM should be redefined or expanded, according to international museum standards and best practices. It was assessed that such areas of activity were museum management (financial and human resources management, including a redefinition of the museum’s mission), collection management in a wide sense of the term (including security, conservation, documentation), the museum’s public-oriented activities (exhibitions, education, events), visitor services (café, shop). Some priorities were set for restructuring, as short-,

mid- and long-term goals, taking into consideration not only urgency, but also feasibility.

In relation to the lack of visitors surveys identified in the Needs Assessment, a questionnaire was prepared by UNESCO staff and was distributed to NHM visitors. The aim of the survey was to contribute to the identification of target groups among visitors, and opinion-polling for the NHM permanent exhibition, institutional image and activities. The data has not been statistically elaborated and interpreted to date, but it is estimated that this will be a valuable tool for audience development and for restructuring the museum’s overall concept.

A prioritization of areas of action derived from the Needs Assessment, namely conservation, security and exhibition, and the outlines of three respective operational plans were submitted for future reference,


in the development of full operational plans. The report on Governance and Management focused on suggestions for alteration of the Statutes of the National History Museum, which would enable the museum to expand its vision, engage the public further in its activities, enhance its public accountability and find a more functional and effective method of managing its existing and potential human and financial resources.

In addition to its recommendations on NHM Governance and Management, the Advisory Board of the National History Museum submitted recommendations to MoTCYS for adjusting the legal provisions in ways which would enable the suggestions on governance and management to be implemented.

Suggestions were also submitted as regards the museum’s overall concept. The reorganization of the NHM institutional concept covers many functions and areas of activity which relate to the redefined NHM mission statement: networking, categorization of collections, education, entertainment, visitor experience, communication, refurbishment of the permanent exhibition, and fund-raising.

In parallel to re-conceptualizing the museum, specialized companies were commissioned to examine the adequacy of the NHM’s structure and infrastructure, as regards the assessment and management of asbestos findings, and the assessment of the building’s statics and anti-seismic potential. Representatives of the Company contracted by UNDP on the asbestos situation have confirmed the presence of asbestos in the NHM building, as in most of the buildings in the world. One of the most important findings is that there is no asbestos in the primary structure of the building, but rather in its secondary structures. This includes but is not limited to a storeroom, various parts of display cases, piping in the basement, and sealant on boiler plates and lab equipment. It is recommended by the Company that the material should either be removed professionally, or closed off so as to remain undisturbed and inaccessible. There was confirmed to be no asbestos presence in either the entrance hall or the auditorium of the Museum. Asbestos management should be structured in a phased approach and planned to go as far as reasonably practicable. Refurbishments to the building can progress as required but reference should be made to the report as necessary. Any disturbance of the identified asbestos containing

materials must be avoided.With regards to the seismic and structural investigations, the Contractor hired by UNDP has preliminarily determined that it appears no evaluation of seismic forces was undertaken in the original design of the building. It was discovered that the Museum was actually built structurally as four separate blocks, and that the existing space between blocks is insufficient to compensate for seismic effects (it should be ≈ 40cm, not 5cm as built). The Contractor concluded that the existing structural system of the Museum is very weak in both orthogonal directions and doesn’t have the capacity to control the expected earthquake forces; the structural system is very vulnerable and, in case of a moderate earthquake, significant damage to all non-structural elements, facades and some structural elements is expected. For a strong or expected design earthquake with a magnitude greater than 5.5, partial or complete collapse of the structural elements, fragments or entire structural unit may occur. It was therefore strongly recommended that structural upgrades applying to Eurocode 8 will lead to a safer building seismically in its future serviceability.

Further, from the desktop exercise and the visual inspections it is clearly evident that a number of minor damages exist in the building; however, these are considered to be non-structural in nature and can be repaired through relatively minor maintenance interventions. The assessment also revealed that the main building structure itself appears to be in a sound condition and does not foresee any major interventions, other than those strengthening measures required for compliance with Eurocode 8. However, some of the structural elements for the basic services of the building were not functioning (e.g. no fire alarm or fire-fighting system), whilst others were functional to a varying degree, but considered as being not fit for purpose.

The findings of these two sets of studies allow us to assume that the building’s condition may not severely delay or impede the implementation of the museum’s re-conceptualization and refurbishment, if it is done in phases and with proper long-term planning. Sound project planning for the Museum is particularly important to ensure that duplication of effort and wastage of resources does not occur. It must also be considered that if works are to be implemented in phases, that the first phase for each building service will necessarily have to include the central plant

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and equipment necessary even if the service ducts, pipelines etc, are renovated to match the programme of structural improvement works. But irrespective of any phased programme of implementation, it

Recommendations of the Advisory Board

Based upon the results of the above studies, the information contained within the four reports of the consultants, and their own observations during the meetings, the Advisory Board has recommended

a series of future steps of action for the National History Museum in order to transform it into a modern cultural institution operating at international museum standards. The following list of recommendations of the Advisory Board is a summarized version of all recommendations from the meetings and can be found in their original format in the annex to this report. Some of the most important recommendations are then discussed in greater detail in the sections following this list.

1. A new, long-term framework, strategy and vision for the Museum should be elaborated. This strategy should include a multi-year action plan for the transformation of the Museum that includes both the “hard” and “soft” actions to be undertaken. The focus of the reconceptualization of the Museum should be on visitors, rather than scientists, and a new flexible and modern museum building concept needs to be elaborated by architects taking into account the visitors flow. The results of the emergency investigations (asbestos, seismic, structural) need to be taken into account in this strategy and action plan. The planning of management and governance as well as infrastructural measures will have to run in parallel due to their interdependence on one another.

2. A mission statement for the Museum should be formally elaborated and included in the long-term strategy that focuses on a broad understanding of history, an emphasis on the entertainment, educative and communicative roles of the museum, expresses itself in first-person “we”, and reflects the relationship of the NHM with other museums and archaeological parks in Albania. Adopt a new mission statement such as below will reduce the political and personal influences on the Museum. The endorsed suggestion by the Advisory Board for this mission statement is:

“In the National History Museum, we aim to foster understanding and appreciation of the history of Albania diachronically, and of the role of Albania in world history, to local, national and international audiences. We encourage dialogue with and among all Albanian citizens on the past, present and future of the country. To this purpose, we acquire, conserve and research tangible and intangible evidence of the historical and cultural heritage of Albania, which we communicate and exhibit by stimulating education and entertainment. We take active part in national and international cultural networks and we organize activities which promote our vision and mission”.

3. The roles and responsibilities of governance bodies need to be redefined. The governing bodies should assume more active and regular role in guiding, supervising and promoting the Museum, and their membership should be comprised of individuals with management expertise and international experience. The Scientific Advisory Board should be charged only with policy-related and strategic planning tasks, and the Executive Board with supporting the implementation of the Strategy through work plans. International members should be invited to join their meetings as external members and provide their international expertise and support to NHM; this is a crucial factor. The Ministry may also consider combining the two bodies into one.

4. A new organizational chart should be elaborated for the Museum that is target-oriented and describes key staff competences (such as museologist, scientific coordinator, Deputy Director, IT, museums pedagogic,

was strongly recommended that priority be given to essential safety measures related to the provision of fire detection, escape and protection facilities, which are currently not in place at the museum.

13Recommendations of the Advisory Board

etc.). A human resources strategy should be then elaborated that is coherent with the mandate and goals/objectives of the Museum, is complete with staff planning and job descriptions, and corresponds to that of a modern museum, without being restricted to present legal or financial situations. More evidence should be given the new organizational chart to education, entertainment and international cooperation by adding supplemental competences. It is also advised to outsource activities which are not strategic and to merge safety and maintenance of premises into one position. The final proposal of the new management structure can be found in the document, “Suggestion on a New Governance and Management Structure for the National History Museum of Albania”.

5. Establish a roadmap for the transformation of the existing organizational chart into the new chart. Efforts should be undertaken to help improve the capacity of staff to better fit to the suggested new NHM organizational structure. Needs mentioned in that context were English language abilities, fundraising and project proposal design/writing. Such activities could be supported under the communication plan and capacity building. Museum staff could be taken on field visits to see examples of best practice.

6. A public relations process by the management and staff of the Museum should be pursued in order to build up a joint and coherent image for the Museum. Incentives should be made available to enhance the number and quality of initiatives taken by the Museum (e.g. funding mechanisms). To this same end partnerships should be established or improved on national and international levels.

7. Relevant laws and regulations should be revised according to the new strategy approved for the Museum. This includes adjusting the legal framework to international conventions and new laws adopted by Albania (Chapter I-IV), increasing the flexibility of financing of Public Museums (Art. 19), and delegating the authority of reusing the revenues of the Museums (Art.20) for the latter to create incentives/means to enter into co-funding activities for public museums. Adjust the decision No. 775 to the new philosophy of museums and include experts in the field of museology to sit in the Scientific Committee of Museums.

8. The museum staff should be permanently involved into all NHM activities implemented by the MDG-F project and be enabled and encouraged to contribute to the development of concepts and their subsequent implementation.

9. Recommends that the concept framework should be established before deciding any measures and based on the information contained within the four reports produced by the UNESCO consultants and the two studies commissioned by UNDP. Priority could also be given to the courtyard with conceptualization of the restaurant and shop. Original architects and technicians of the Museum should be invited if possible to discussions on room allocation. Work plans related to the main fields identified in the concept framework should be elaborated. The following issues are to be included into the concept for the NHM:

• National museum framework / network of museums in Albania

• Categorization of the collections• Exhibit topics to be presented• Research into history, ethnography,

socio-economic development of Albania

• Education• Entertainment• Communication• International cooperation with public

relations and institutional cooperation• Visitor experience• Financial and fund-raising concepts

10. The collections that are currently located in the basement should be moved to the upper floors and objects should be cleaned and made ready for presentation. The NHM should also translate the list of collections and objects by category so that steps can be taken to assist in the proper inventorying and digitalization of the collection. A collections concept should be defined based on historic periods and material separated by categories: Prehistory, Middle-age, Ethnography and Modern.

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11. The electricity transformer station in the building must be relocated immediately. Such a station should not be located in a publicly accessible building.

12. The air conditioning system is not functioning and should be based on the new concept for the Museum. Until the location of collections, exhibitions service rooms, lab etc. is planned and approved, the system should not be installed. Furthermore, the running costs and maintenance for the system have to be organized and guaranteed before the installation.

13. The elevator is not functioning and needs to be reinstalled. This should be part of the new museum concept, allowing access to handicapped persons. According to the UNRC, there could be other funds available for this purpose, e.g. from UNDP’s social inclusion programme.

14. The entrance hall should be visitor friendly and attract new visitors. It should link to other parts of the Museum, such as the gift shop, a restaurant, and exhibitions. It is considered an important part of the Museum and therefore gets high priority. An improved gift shop could bring further attraction and contribute to the Museums budget. The entrance hall combines content, architecture and communication and will give a high visibility to both the Museum and the JP.

15. A security system does not exist in the Museum. The presence of a high number of staff in the badly visited exhibitions is costly and inefficient. The installation of a video surveillance system will reduce the number of security staff necessary, and create opportunities to use staff to reinforce other activities. The measure has therefore a high impact on the performance of the Museum. The activity is highly dependent on the planned exhibition concept. A first step could be the installation of a surveillance system and as a second step, the showcase “highlights” alarm system. This activity should also be combined with a training of responsible staff on security procedures and standards.

16. A new lighting concept needs to be elaborated in connection with the new exhibitions concept.

17. An emergency plan for the building itself should be focused on prior to issues relating to collections management. This recommendation is due in part to the fact that the collection cannot be moved anywhere for safekeeping during renovation. The emergency plan also needs to take into account the emergency exits and aesthetics of building.

18. Interventions relating to the asbestos, seismic and statics issues need to be planned immediately before proceeding with visible works. Based on the recommendations of the statics assessment, the heavy objects on the second floor may need to be removed. The necessary steps to remove or contain the asbestos should be elaborated, bearing in mind the limited budget of this project activity; this can be done in phases, and physical works to the building may begin in areas where the asbestos is not present or will remain undisturbed. The extensive structural strengthening measures that are required to ensure the capacity of the building to withstand the effects of seismic action, and also to meet international norms and standards can be worked into a phased programme to offset the investment costs over a period of time. Final versions of the reports by the two companies should be translated into Albanian.

19. The priority needs are to renovate the Museum entrance hall as well as other urgent measures, such as water supply, security and fire emergency systems. This will improve the visitor experience as well as enable the creation of new opportunities for revenue generation, allow for a flexible and dynamic use of the space during reconstruction efforts, and engage the general public more effectively than work in other areas of the museum. Work in the entrance hall could start immediately, as it is not directly affected by the necessary asbestos, seismic and statics interventions (which are very costly and need further fund-raising). Priority should also be given to essential safety measures related to the provision of fire detection and escape and protection facilities, which are currently not in place at the museum. The priorities on safety should be a cost-sharing activity with the Government of Albania.


20. An internal communication plan for staff training and capacity building for the work of the AB to be communicated to the public, Government, media, etc, should be developed.

21. The question whether the NHM should remain a Historical Museum or change into a National Museum (including aspects like ethnography) requires a strategic decision by the government.

22. At the start of 2010, a series of symposia on Albanian history should be organized with the participation of the well-known Albanian and international historians.

23. As the final decision on how to proceed remains with the Government of Albania, it is recommended to move the decision processes forward quickly so as not to lose any funding currently available under the MDG-F Joint Programme. A clear commitment from the Government is needed for change to occur.

Further discussion on the refurbishment of the entrance hall

The refurbishment of the entrance hall has been recommended by the Advisory Board as a short-

term priority as it is a visible activity that would quickly have a clear impact on the overall image and functionality of the museum. It has been assessed as an essential first step for improving the institutional image of the museum in relation to its redefined, more public-oriented mission. Visitor services provided in this space will be a café and shop, as well as the ticket-issuing, audio guide and guard robe services. Although the need for audio guides is rather long term, in relation to a future refurbished permanent exhibition, it would be preferable to include this service already in the design of the hall. In fact, it would be feasible to acquire the relevant necessary equipment at the same time with the other equipment

needed, and develop the content of the audio guide at a later stage.

When the refurbishment of the space is implemented, the management of the café and shop could be externalized. It would be strongly recommended to avoid managing these two visitor services on own staff resources at first and externalizing them at a later stage, in order to prevent confusion in the museum’s management structure at a time of overall restructuring and re-conceptualization. As for the staff engaged in visitor services directly managed by the museum, namely ticket-issuing, cloakroom and, eventually, the rental of audio guides, some training should take place as a final stage of this work package, in order to enhance their ability of welcoming and serving visitors.

Further discussion on collections management

Collections management includes the re-arrangement of the categorization of NHM

collections, their full inventorying (including numbering on the items), documentation, storage, conservation (preventive and, when necessary, corrective), and security.

The need for restructuring collections management in the NHM has been identified in the needs assess-ment. Suggestions regarding the categorization of collections have been provided in the NHM concept

report, and relevant recommendations of the Adviso-ry Board have been submitted. Moreover, outlines of operational plans on conservation and security for the NHM have provided concrete suggestions regarding the actions and equipment that would be necessary for the conservation and security of the museum’s artifacts. The document on NHM governance and management additionally includes suggestions on the staff necessary for collections management and their respective responsibilities.

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A study on the overall reallocation of space in the museum could be seen as part of this work package. According to this study, suggestions would be provided on allocating space required for new functions of the museum: a security cabin, a storage area, a room for educational programmes, a room for temporary exhibitions, and space for events on rent. Obviously, reallocation of space is not only connected with the management of the collections, but with most of the areas of activity of the museum. However, this study could be done early enough in the year, as part of the work undertaken for refurbishing collections management, provided that there is a general agreement on not allocating additional space to the permanent exhibition (according to what has been mentioned in the Needs Assessment and suggested in the Concept report). If, on the contrary, it is considered as preferable to expand the area covered by the permanent exhibition, the study on reallocation of space should be done at a later stage, in relation to the development of the refurbished permanent exhibition, with all delays that this postponement may introduce to the refurbishment of collections management.

In order to proceed to the implementation of activities related to collection management, the operational plans on security and conservation should be developed, including the Terms of Reference for the refurbishing work which will be required and the relevant equipment that should be purchased. In particular, the Terms of Reference on storage could

be included in the operational plan for conservation (the respective outline includes mentions to the equipment required for the preventive conservation of objects on storage). In parallel, adequate areas should be allocated for storage and security purposes in the building (storage rooms, security cabin), taking into consideration some restrictions to which mention has already been made (adequacy of environmental and security conditions of storage areas, location of security cabin in proximity to the exhibition).

When the Advisory Board has submitted its relevant recommendations to the Ministry, and provided that the Ministry has taken the relevant decisions and administrative actions for accepting the recommendations, the acquisition of the necessary equipment for security, preventive conservation and storage can be tendered.

On the acquisition of the relevant equipment, some work should be required for refurbishing the spaces designated for security and storage purposes.

Last and not least, the staff engaged in security and preventive conservation should be trained on how to use the new equipment. Further training related to integrated security and conservation plans is mentioned in the chapter on the staff training and capacity-building. Additionally, staff engaged in the inventorying and documentation of the collections should also be trained – again, the subject is more thoroughly dealt with in the chapter on staff training.

Further discussion on the organization of the permanent exhibition

The report on the Concept framework suggestion for the reorganization of the National Historic

Museum included suggestions on a new thematic concept for the permanent exhibition, with enhanced communicative potential, and on a general framework for topics to be exhibited.

A working group on issues relating to the NHM was convened in late October 2009 by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports with a group of Albanian historians. As shared by the NHM Director with the AB, all of the historians/researchers present at this meeting seemed to be in agreement with the core idea of the suggestions provided on the refurbishment

of the exhibition in the NHM Overall Concept report. The focus of the NHM should be on history.

This idea was discussed further during the meeting of 9/ 12/ 2009 with the Director of NHM. It has been argued that historical exhibitions do not need to be object-oriented, and instead artifacts displayed could highlight their historical context, with a selective approach taken regarding artifacts to be included on display and the ones to remain on storage. It has also suggested that exposure of stakeholders to examples of other such exhibitions would be helpful.


In accordance with the conclusions of the meeting of the Albanian historians and the recommendations of the Advisory Board, an international debate is being organized by the Joint Programme to take place around May 2010regarding the role of the NHM and how Albania’s history should be presented. This should be the first in a series of public consultations in which Albanian history is publicly discussed and debated, so that a consensus will eventually emerge on what the official overall concept of NHM should look like. These debates can take place simultaneously during the implementation of physical works in non-exhibition areas, such as the entrance hall and the courtyard.

In parallel, an interdisciplinary team should be formed, to work on the exhibition development, ideally including both members of NHM staff and external experts. The Advisory Board could provide the MoTCYS with recommendations on the key disciplines that should be included in the team. The team should have a clear structure on who is responsible for what, facilitating the collaboration between different disciplines, and a team leader.

Making use of the practical experience in developing historic exhibitions, it is estimated that the research on iconographic material and information to be included in the refurbished exhibition could be quite time-consuming: in addition to the selection and preparation of original artifacts to be included in the display, initial stages of this preparation process include research for identification of accompanying visual and informative material (to be included in wall panels, audiovisual applications etc), selection of final material to be included, request for reproduction rights where applicable and digitization – not to mention the steps for exhibition development which follow this initial stage. Therefore, even if the discussion and public debate on the exhibition’s content could be on-going, the interdisciplinary team could start working on these initial stages, perhaps on core subjects for which it is decided to include. When the feedback is adequate and the reflection stage more mature, an operational plan for the exhibition should be developed, including a fully detailed concept and the architectural design of the envisaged exhibition. It should be noted that,

ideally, this operational plan should be developed at a stage when the development work and research of the interdisciplinary team has progressed enough to provide adequate information and useful details, but not too far (before entering the stage of acquiring reproduction rights, for certain, so that time, effort and money is not “wasted in the wrong direction”).

The operational plan on the permanent exhibition should be detailed enough to provide, or ideally even include, the Terms of Reference for all the future steps regarding its implementation: therefore, it would be feasible to directly enter, upon its endorsement by the AB and approval by the MoTCYS, into public procurement procedures (eg architectural company, acquisition of showcases, development of audiovisuals’ software, acquisition of audiovisuals’ hardware etc). The operational plan on exhibitions should be based on the Concept framework suggestion for the reorganization of the NHM. The operational plan would therefore create a consensus around its main points and further detail concrete actions, timelines and costing of interventions.

It is estimated that the finalization of the NHM concept may take several months and the public discussions and consensus building might be very time consuming, finishing later than desired and not earlier than the third/fourth quarters of 2010. This implies that the JP CHSED could not be able to fully benefit from the results of this discussion as its life span is limited to February 2011. This therefore is a risk of losing an opportunity to make use of available resources. One possible way forward is for the MoTCYS, the JP and other stakeholders to set up an interdisciplinary team, institutionally tasked to take preliminary issues forward and work on NHM aspects delinked from the ongoing discussions on the content of the exhibition. This would ensure an optimal use of time and build momentum for further activities in the NHM.

Implementation of exhibition development could then start in late 2010, and the new exhibition could only be ready for inauguration in 2011. However, the suggested plan for this work package includes all the crucial decisions (including procurement procedures) in 2010.

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Further discussion on restructuring management and enhancing the capacities of human resources

In the light of the conclusions of the meeting of December 9, 2009 between the Director of NHM

and UNESCO staff and consultants, future steps on restructuring the management of the museum should involve a gradual implementation of the suggested organization chart, to the extent that this is administratively possible at the moment. A transitional phase would preferably include a “transitional” organization chart, in which no services would be externalized, the attribution of posts to existing staff, according to their qualifications, and the engagement of additional staff in specializations missing (such as museum education).

Administrative obstacles implicating the implementa-tion of the suggestions provided on management in-clude the fact that some of the functions suggested in the chart (such as education officers) do not exist in the provisions for specializations in the Albanian civil service. Considerations have also been discussed about how this chart could affect the management structures of the other public museums in Albania.

Although the restructuring of NHM management could be an excellent opportunity for updating and “modernizing” the relevant legal provisions for all museums, alternative ways can be explored in order to overcome administrative obstacles for the implementation of the chart individually for NHM: such alternatives could be to initially engage contractual staff in the new functions for which there are no administrative provisions, or to employ them under a specialization already provisioned by law (eg hired as archaeologists but working in educational programmes, hired as guards but working in visitor services).

In parallel to the identification of administrative obstacles and, possibly, of ways to overcome them, including the creation of a transitional chart, the meeting’s conclusions suggested for the NHM Director to identify a team among existing staff for closer collaboration on the museum’s refurbishment. At the same time, the Director of NHM, with the support of the MoTCYS and UNESCO, could identify the major gaps in missing specializations.

The implementation of the transitional chart could follow, according to which posts and roles would be attributed to existing and new staff members.

Training of NHM staff has been identified in reports and recognized by the Advisory Board as an internal part of the on-going efforts of the CHSED Programme for capacity-building of the institution.

It is not clear yet how many and which member of the existing staff will form part of the envisaged improved management structure of the museum; it is not clear either how and when changes in personnel will occur, according to the suggestions made, or which of those suggestions could realistically be adopted in the short term. A first step could be to train the existing staff, and engage staff in some new functions, and at a later stage the chart could be fully implemented.

The “team” selected by the Director among existing staff, to work more closely regarding the implementation of a new overall concept for the museum, could follow him in opportunities arising to visit other museums in Europe, so that they get acquainted with different museum management practices, and updated on best practices and relevant international standards.

It should also be mentioned that the conclusions of the meeting undertaken with NHM staff indicate that they warmly welcome the opportunity to be trained according to international standards and acquainted with practices applied in other museums, also suggesting the idea of “museum twinning” for coaching. They have expressed their wish to form part of international museum networks, and their eagerness to enhance their skills and learn from the experience of other museums. They highlighted on own initiative the fact that specialized additional staff may be needed, and indicated that the NHM Statutes should be updated. They were indeed very interested in a definition and overview of educational programmes in museums.

It looks like the NHM staff and Director would welcome, as a start for staff training, the opportunity


to attend training courses undertaken by UNESCO staff, making use of the ICOM museum training material.

It has not been examined yet how the staff would self-prioritize their training needs. The following

The degree of priority is specified from 1 to 12 (1 = most needed):

Museology (12)

Museum Management (6)

Collection Management (3)

Preventive Conservation (1)

Education/Interpretation (5)

Communication, including public relations and marketing (8)

Documentation/Inventories (4)

Exhibitions (7)

Museum Security and Emergency Planning (2)

Visitor Studies (10)

Cultural Tourism (11)

Fund raising (9)

prioritization was made on the basis of which would be the most urgent needs for the museum, and not the fields where the staff would prefer to be trained on. The model is taken from an ICOM questionnaire, from surveys conducted by UNESCO.

Additional training needs could be identified, such as more in-depth training on the management of financial and human resources, public relations and communication. It should also be mentioned that, according to the suggestions provided on management,

other skills would also be highly desirable, such as the knowledge of foreign languages, and IT skills, and it is not known yet which members of staff are competent in these areas to some extent.

Some considerations and suggestions are provided in relation to the training of staff:

• It should be identified who would be trained on what: would all staff participate in all courses, or should specific groups be formed for the training on each subject? The Director, perhaps with the support of UNESCO staff and consultants, and after having checked the staff CVs, should “attribute” specializations to existing staff, identifying gaps as well (specializations totally missing). This would help to identify who would be trained on what. However, given their eagerness to be trained, and the great interest indicated on educational programmes, perhaps some or even all courses could be open to whomever staff member wants to attend, for the general information of all.

• Assessment of the training needs and skills could take place before and after the training, including self-evaluation.

• Following the assessment, and perhaps even in parallel to training, a “pilot” application of the new organization chart could be formulated and tried out, with any alterations that could be made to it for practical or other reasons. This could be made unofficially, before any changes to the Statutes take place. The point of the suggestion is to apply specializations and form small “groups” of existing staff according to the major functions indicated in the suggested chart, or any other chart that is decided upon. Some major gaps identified (eg on education) could perhaps be filled in, at this pilot stage, by contractual staff.

• A plan should be formulated for “study trips” or even “museum coaching”, as has been suggested. It would be advisable that the museums – case studies are selected on the

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basis of relevance of subject to the presentation of history, and/ or exhibition concepts which highlight the display of artifacts in a historical context, and/ or management methods applied which could act as an example of good practice. The potential of “museum coaching”, in particular, could be further explored in relation to available possibilities for coaching related to presentations, visits, peer education or short term internships.

• Additionally, the potential could be explored for participation to other accredited museum training seminars, such as, to indicate one example which may not even be the most appropriate one, the International Baltic Museology School; this course operates under the auspices of ICOM-Europe and each year runs a week-long educational programme in English, focusing on one aspect of museum work.

• Following what has been discussed in the meeting, it would be advisable to find ways in which members of staff could be encouraged to look for self-training opportunities through the internet. My own suggestion to them, to look at the ICOM, UNESCO, and museums websites for self-training, could take a more structured form - perhaps not so structured as to create “web-seminars”, but to give some more concrete directions on where to search for what, in a certain order. Of course, pre-requisites for this suggestion to materialize would be access to internet, and to read English or French.

• In relation to the acquisition of equipment required for preventive conservation and security, specific training should take place, on the use of the equipment for routine and emergency procedures.

• Some more specific training could perhaps help staff to reorganize the inventorying and documentation of artifacts. Following the general UNESCO training on the subject, it would perhaps make sense to focus on how inventorying and documentation could be re-organized in this specific museum.

It would be preferable that all the opportunities for training identified as viable to materialize should be structured in a sequence that makes sense for learning purposes, and not be based solely on opportunities which occur. This means that a certain sequence should be favored for training, perhaps commencing with a theoretic introduction (UNESCO course), then self-learning and experimentation (self-learning through the web), followed by more in-depth learning (seminars on particular issues, visits to other museums and museum coaching) and concluding with experimentation and practice (pilot application of chart in the museum).

Last, it should be noted that the NHM Director and staff would wish that a training centre for museology would be established in the museum in due course, for

the training of the staff of other museums in Albania. It is therefore suggested that NHM, as the head of a future national museum network, could train the staff of the other museums of the network, when they are ready to do so, perhaps using the ICOM training material and course structure used by UNESCO in museum training. After all, in training museum staff all over the world, the UNESCO Headquarters have attempted to implement in the past this method of training (the trained staff of one museum to train the other ones). This has not always been successful, as the “trained museum” was sometimes reluctant to train the other ones; but in the case of NHM, there seems to be good potential for success due to the Director’s and staff’s declared eagerness to spread the knowledge earned.


Further discussion on how to start a communication and fund-raising plan

In order to develop a plan on communication and fund-raising for 2010, it should be taken

into consideration that during that year the new “institutional image” of the museum will still be under development: the museum would not be able to promote yet a refurbished permanent exhibition and the accomplishment of its new mission statement through a range of public-oriented activities, but rather the new mission statement itself and its will and determination to reorganize its exhibition and all aspects of its institutional life. In other words, NHM would not be able to “sell” a “product” in 2010, but rather the “announcement of a forthcoming new product”. Of course, near the end of the year there should be, hopefully, some first tangible proofs of the museum’s new public-oriented mission, such as a renewed entrance hall including refurbished visitor services and, perhaps, some first educational programmes and/ or events related to audience development.

In a symbolic declaration of its new institutional image, NHM could create a new logo early in the year, to accompany all communicative and fund-raising activities which would announce the museum’s refurbishment.

Some first visitor surveys have already taken place in the museum, but the interpretation of the data in order to draw useful conclusions on audience development and the refurbished exhibitions are expected in early 2010. Throughout the year, the survey could perhaps be repeated – with the same questionnaire or a different one, according to the initial survey’s assessment and whether the existing permanent exhibition is still accessible to visitors when the survey is repeated.

Based on the feedback gathered from the initial visitor survey, the Advisory Board could provide recommendations related to communication and audience development. It could also provide recommendations to assist the museum’s networking at national and international level. Such recommendations on networking, upon acceptance

by the NHM governance, could be implemented as an early step of the museum’s communication plan.

Another early step for communication could be the creation of a website for the museum, in which information should be provided in at least two languages (Albanian and English), and preferably more (Italian as well, for instance). The website, in an easy-to-navigate and visually appealing way, should include as much information as possible on subjects such as the museum’s new mission statement and logo, collection highlights, procedures undertaken for the exhibition’s refurbishment, a programme of planned temporary exhibitions and events, as well as practical information for visitors. Visibility of the fact that NHM is included in the activities of the CHSED Programme would be a positive factor for the museum’s institutional image at international level. The information available at the website should be regularly updated.

When it will have been decided which members of NHM staff would deal with the museum’s communication and fund-raising, a first important task for these members of staff would be to create a list or file of existing and potential contacts for communication and fund-raising. The list could include contacts in the media, politicians, prominent figures of public life, companies potentially interested for corporate donations or other collaboration, experts, other museums, tour operators and more. At a future stage, in due course, it would be preferable that there are two separate files for communication and fund-raising (for example, contacts in the media are purely for communication purposes, whereas potential donors are a separate category of public relations). However, at this initial stage during which the museum only announces its new mission, vision and plans, the contact list could be common. Needless to say, the contact list should be updated regularly, and enriched as much as possible with new contacts.

The contacts, at this initial stage, could be used as recipients of a monthly newsletter on NHM

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developments and events, inviting them to also visit the museum’s website. As the work of refurbishment progresses, the contact list could also be used for more tangible actions. One such possibility is for the last months of 2010 to organize “behind the scenes” exclusive events for a limited number of persons

Further discussion on the development of NHM policies

As has been mentioned in the Needs Assessment and clearly suggested in the report on NHM

Governance and Management, it would be useful for the museum to develop some institutional policies on certain areas of activity. Some priority areas of activity for the development of institutional policies, as defined in the aforementioned report, are the acquisition and disposal of artifacts, the incoming and outgoing short-term loans of artifacts.

According to the area of museum activity they deal with, some of these institutional policy documents would be more focused on ethical restrictions, such as the one on acquisition and disposal, and some other ones would be more practical, such as the one on loans (which could include, for example, a condition report model and guidelines for the procedure undertaken for incoming and outgoing loans).

of similar interests and professional capacity (e.g. separately for tour operators, media etc), when the entrance hall will have been refurbished and the reorganization of the permanent exhibition will be in the making.

Certainly, it would be most welcome if the legal framework, in which the museum operates, was amended in ways in which such policies would be legally binding for all public museums in Albania; and it seems quite likely that the MoTCYS is willing to develop legally-binding documents in these areas of activity and more. However, it would be most helpful if the NHM developed ethically-binding institutional policies, as many museums tend to do.

The Advisory Board can be consulted to provide recommendations to MoTCYS on the priority areas of activity in which policy documents should be developed for NHM, and on their content, according to internationally accepted professional ethics for museums and internationally applied professional practices.

Conclusion

In sum, the members of the Advisory Board think that this project is an important opportunity for

Albania and the NHM to further advance the museum as the chief cultural institution in the country. They acknowledge the hard work and dedication by all members of the Advisory Board, the museum, government bodies, CHSED Joint Programme team and consultants to see this project activity through to success. However, the importance of further

engaging historians and museum professionals in Albania for their contribution in such an important undertaking cannot be emphasized enough.

The members of the Advisory Board remain available for consultation and advice to the NHM, the Government of Albania, and to the CHSED Joint Programme throughout the length of their mandate, currently scheduled through January 2011.

23Annex: Approved minutes and recommendations of the Advisory Board meetings

Annex: Approved minutes and recommendations of the Advisory Board meetings

• Minutes of the 1st Advisory Board session, 03 July 2009• Summary note by the chair of the first meeting of the Advisory Board, 03 July 2009• Minutes of the 2nd Advisory Board session, 07-08 September 2009• Conclusions and Recommendations of the 2nd session of the Advisory Board, 07-08 September

2009• Minutes of the 3rd Advisory Board session, 24-25 November 2009• Ad-hoc Conclusions and Recommendations based on the Asbestos and Seismic/Structural

assessments, February 2010

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Minutes of the 1st Advisory Board session, 03 July 2009

“CULTURE AND HERITAGE FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT”NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Advisory Board MeetingVenue: UNDP Office

Street “Papa Gjon Pali”ABA Business Center, 6th Floor

Tirana, on 03.07.2009

Mr. Taher Ghalia Member of the executive council, ICOM Director, National Museum of Tunisia (Bardo Museum)

Mr. Ilirian Gjipali Archaeologist, Institute of Archaeology, Centre of Albanology, Tirana, Albania

Ms. Ulrike Kretzschmar Director of Exhibition Department, German Historical Museum, Berlin, Germany

Mr. Luan Malltezi Historian, Institute of History, Centre of Albanology, Tirana, AlbaniaMr. Ilber Ortayli President of the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey (via

teleconference)

Ex Officio Members:

1. Mr. Ols Lafe Director, Culture Heritage Department, MoTCYS, Albania2. Mr. Engelbert Ruoss Director, UNESCO Office in Venice, Italy

NHM Consultants:

1. Ms. Katerina Nikolaidou NHM UNESCO International consultant2. Ms. Iris Pojani NHM UNESCO Local consultant

Secretariat / CHSED Programme Implementation Unit:

1. Mr. Stephan Doempke Joint Programme International Coordinator 2. Ms. Zhulieta Harasani UNESCO National Professional Officer3. Ms. Dasara Dizdari UNDP Project Manager4. Ms. Valbona Kaso UNDP Project Assistant

Participants / Invitees:

1. Ms. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett UN Resident Coordinator2. Mr. Ardian Turku Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports 3. H. E. Manuel Montobbio Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Albania4. Ms. Suela Kusi CHSED Focal Point, MCTYS5. Ms. Elida Petoshati Out-going General Secretary of UNESCO National Commission,

CHSED Focal Point, Ministry of Foreign Affairs6. Mr. Kasem Bicoku Director, National History Museum7. Ms. Entela Lako UNDP Cluster Program Manager


AdvISoRy BoARd MEEtINg

Ms. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett, UN Resident Coordinator, welcomed the members of the Advisory Board and expressed her pleasure of the presence of the Minister and the Ambassador of Spain in this very important meeting. She recalled the general goals and objectives of the CHSED Programme as being unique in the world and to be appreciated as such, and outlined the work to be done in the National History Museum and the special importance of the vision of the experts.

Mr. Ardian Turku, Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, thanked for the invitation to the meeting and expressed its importance in pursuing the re-conceptualization of the museum as the chief cultural institution in the country not only for what it represents but also for its great significance for the coming Albanian generations. The re-conceptualization of this museum coincides with the goals and the objectives of the Albanian government, a goal not yet achieved because of the lack of financial support and technical expertise. For this reason the Minister appreciated the support of Spain and the UN, and above all he called this meeting the start of the first real work for the museum, wishing the best of luck to everyone and to the Advisory Board in particular.

H. E. Manuel Montobbio, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Albania, affirmed that the museum is the main component of the CHSED Programme and also the main cultural institution of the country – a kind of soul of the Albanian people. Because of that, the project should be seen as a national project which also has an effect on the image of Albania abroad. He explained shortly the situation of the museum under the communist and democratic systems, and that is good for Albania to promote itself through culture, history and this museum. Finally a moment had to arrive when a new Albanian generation could have an unbiased view of their past, and therefore a great challenge is on the content of the museum. In order to be legitimate in the view of Albanian public opinion, there needed to be a flexible process in which different, maybe complementary aspects will be heard.

The Ambassador emphasized the advisory nature of the board, encouraging the members to work in

a spirit of incorporating all different voices, as they come from different countries and will each bring their own experience. The reconstruction of this museum is not just a question of modernization because it is symbolic of the country, and its re-conceptualization is a historic opportunity to reconcile themselves with their past.

Ms. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett then asked Mr. Engelbert Ruoss, Director of the UNESCO Office in Venice, Italy, to facilitate the meeting.

Mr. Ruoss apologized for the two weeks short notice for the organization of the meeting and explained the work done so far had been to compile a statute as a formal but very flexible and target-oriented instrument in order to reach tangible results.

Mr. Ruoss pointed out that the idea of the Programme was not just to re-build the museum, but also to link it to other museums in the world, thereby also to the marketing of other museums. He felt that it was important to develop the NHM within the context of a regional approach, and that ICOM (the International Council for Museums) can help to develop regional strategies for museums, i.e. the Mediterranean. He informed the participants that his office, together with UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, would serve as an interface between the Programme, the Museum and ICOM in order to make their resources available.

Each member of the advisory board gave a short introduction of themselves and their work, and the other participants also briefly introduced themselves.

A resume was given to the other members of the Advisory Board not present in this first meeting.

Mr. Ilber Ortayli, Director of the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey, who spoke through a conference telephone connection, extended his greetings and expressed his honor for being invited to serve on the Advisory Board. He emphasized the long common history of the Albanian and Turkish peoples, and that this project was a great opportunity to raise history-writing to a new level between the two nations. Furthermore, he invited the Advisory Board to have one of its meetings in Istanbul.

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Ms. Ulrike Kretzschmar, Director of Exhibition Department, German Historical Museum, Berlin, Germany, said that she had started working with her museum from developing a concept for the West German History Museum in 1987, had to merge this concept with the existing East German Historical Museum, then take over and renovate a historical building and establish its permanent exhibition there, and also oversee the construction of the annex building for changing exhibitions (by architect I.M. Pei). With all this experience, she felt very comfortable with the work on the Advisory Board. She organizes 7-8 exhibitions per year.

Mr. Ilirian Gjipali, Archaeologist at the Institute for Archaeology, Center for Albanology, Tirana, pointed out that the problems around the NHM are less political than scientific. He also confirmed that the NHM meets the preconditions to present Albania within a regional context.

Mr. Luan Malltezi, Historian at the Institute of History, Center for Albanology, Tirana, emphasized the importance of undertaking this initiative while the Albanian society is now ready for that. He brought to attention the construction of the museum of Kruja and Tirana in their beginnings in 1981. Unfortunately this museum represents great problems. It had been in line with the prevailing political line which, however, does not stand anymore. The task is not only a political (changes happened during the system) but a task of the Albanian society to reconsider its history with good will. This will be an institution where the Albanian conscious will rest peacefully after it will be constructed.

Mr. Malltezi expressed his gratitude that Albanian specialists are members of this Advisory Board as an essential and important part, and they will contribute with all their efforts to promote the Albanian culture and history abroad.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss then set the discussion on the framework of the NHM by explaining the contribution which the two UN agencies, UNESCO and UNDP, will make to the project, where (symbolically) UNESCO will be in charge of the “software” (the concepts and contents) and UNDP for the “hardware” (the physical improvements). First we need to hear what is needed and provide assistance and advice in developing short term and long term goals as well as proposals for changes, measures for conservation, acquisition,

education, visitor facilities etc. He also noted that the Advisory Board does not have any decision-making functions and must be in line with UN and especially with UNESCO rules and regulations. While saying that the strategy for the museum must be developed from both the conceptual and the construction side, he highlighted the importance of setting priorities and expressed his wish to identify by the end of the meeting some urgent and immediate interventions.

Ms. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett thanked the Advisory Board members, considering them to be a great asset for our common work. Underlining the advisory nature of their work, she was convinced that the Board will not have any differences, and since there was no legal obligation to adopt majority decisions, their recommendations should be based on dialogue and consensus.

Ms. Iris Pojani, NHM UNESCO Local Consultant, made a presentation on the history of museum and its needs (see attachment).. Mr. Ilber Ortayli (via teleconference) mentioned that museums in Turkey face the same problems and many of the museums are not functioning. For this reason he congratulated everyone for their work and saidd that he was very impressed by the presentation.

Mr. Kasem Bicoku, Director of the National History Museum, Tirana, expressed his conviction that the restructuring of the museum, which essentially has not been modernized since its establishment in 1981, will be a great help. Responding to questions concerning continuing changes in the permanent exhibition, he explained that the section of communism had been removed after the fall of the system in 1990. Since then, the museum has made some improvised interventions, but all of them with unsatisfactory results.

Mr. Bicoku has been the director of the NHM for one year, and after a series of consultations with experts in their fields, a project for re-conceptualization of the entire museum has been adopted and approved by the MTCYS. Presently the newly-established ethnographic pavilion, which will take 25% of the museum space, is under final stages of construction with the funds of the Albanian government, and it is hoped that with the CHSED funds this section can be finished.


One of the greatest assets of the museum is its collection of icons. The museum possesses 700 icons that are different from the other Balkan countries because they show an impact of Italian renaissance. There are only 50 icons exhibited in the museum in the worst possible location in the museum, when this pavilion was set up in 1999 with the imposed decision of the Minister of Culture of that period. The storage room for the remaining icons is in bad condition. The other objects not on display are in stored in the 2nd floor in inappropriate conditions.

The second goal of the museum is to acquire funds in order to remove the electrical substation which is placed in the basement of the museum and is considered an enormous hazard. Mr. Bicoku mentioned the lack of a laboratory for icons and textiles which would be very significant for the museum.

Another concern was the possibility of building a tower in the atrium of the building which will be devastating for NHM, but was approved by the mayor of Tirana. The director has protested against this plan with both the Mayor of Tirana and the Prime Minister. He prefers to turn this yard into an attractive part of the museum with exposing big art works of ethnography and the construction of a bar/café for the visitors as the all international museums have.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss wanted to discuss perceived inconsistencies in the management of the museum, and asked what the relationship was between the Scientific Council for the NHM and the National Committee for Museums since both of them were headed by the minister.

Mr. Ols Lafe, Director, Culture Heritage Department, MoTCYS, explained the competencies and the work done by the National Committee and the Scientific Council. The National Committee for Museums is headed by the minister whereas the Scientific Council for the NHM is headed by the director of the museum. While the National Committee approves strategic changes upon advice from the Scientific Council, it never goes in details of every day and every month work. In contrast, the Scientific Council works on every detail of the NHM’s issues. Concerning personnel, Mr. Lafe mentioned that it would be extremely difficult to have additional personnel for the NHM approved by the Council of Ministers, and suggested to work on the basis of the present number of 39 staff and restructure the organigram rather than expand it.

Mr. Stephan Doempke, Joint Programme International Coordinator, made a remark concerning the number of visitors of the NHM given in the presentation, explaining that the biggest numbers of foreign visitors are ethnic Albanians from Kosova for whom this museum is a point of national reference and who will continue to be an important group of visitors with their own expectations.

Ms. Katerina Nikolaidou, NHM UNESCO International consultant, made a presentation of her preliminary findings and recommendations (see attachment).

Ambassador Montobbio appreciated the work of consultants, seeing in the first presentation a report on the existing situation and in the second presentation recommendations what to do. The ambassador remarked that ever since his first visit to the museum he has witnessed ongoing changes, such as the dismantling of the permanent exhibitions on the Ottoman and post-war period. However, the Advisory Board member should have an opportunity to see the museum in its previous condition in order to propose appropriate changes.

In a more general reflection, the ambassador pointed out that the purpose of the CHSED Programme is not to supplement Albanian budgets but to contribute to capacity-building. The re-conceptualization would have to include a dialogue with Albanian institutions and an exercise of free thinking. As an example, the ambassador noted that the present historical exhibition in the museum is all about wars, but it was a question whether Albanians would want to be taught only about wars, and it was up to the Advisory Board to decide, making use of different experiences from different countries.

Mr. Kasem Bicoku thanked the ambassador for his remarks, saying that they were very much in line with their own thinking since they had taken out a lot of war-related exhibitions and replaced it with culture.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss concluded that in the next meeting we should have a concept (first concept) for the museum, so the Advisory Board should be focused on:- Institutional issues- Managerial issues.

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MEEtINg WItH tHE SCIENtIFIC CoUNCIL FoR tHE NHM ANd tHE NAtIoNAL CoMMIttEE FoR MUSEUMS

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss opened the meeting, explaining that the Advisory Board had requested the meeting in order to hear how the two bodies work and how often they meet.

The various members of the two bodies introduced themselves. Mr. Kasem Bicoku explained that the National Committee convenes only upon request, and in order to open new museums, approve new parts or grant a license.

Mr. Neritan Ceka, a member of the National Committee and Deputy Speaker of the outgoing Parliament, was then given the floor for a presentation. He introduced himself as the chairman of the team of archaeologists who re-conceptualized the permanent archaeology exhibition of the NHM, which he said will be realized after the ethnographic exhibition will have been finalized. Mr. Ceka reported that there had been a very wide discussion around the NHM, and that the improvements will not follow a socialist approach, but, based on a decision by the MoTCYS, will focus on certain cultural aspects: archaeology, ethnography and icon paintings.

Mr. Ceka stated that the re-conceptualization of the NHM started with the idea of Spanish funding, but that now funding came from the Albanian government. The Albanian experts have their own means and knew what to do, but they were ready to cooperate. He went on to say that his idea was that if the money is here everything can be done by Albanian experts. Having heard the same for 20 years, the only investment made was by Albania. The museums in Durres in Butrint were also modernized by local experts with foreign funding, and he himself had worked without any funding. Whatever money will be available, he wanted it to go into something tangible (rather than foreign advice).

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss remarked that a lot of work and planning had been done, and asked whether visitors and young people had been involved in these activities, who represents them in the planning

process, whether their expectations have been studied and on what basis the decisions concerning the museum were made.

Mr. Kasem Bicoku responded that the museum was an open institution and is in contact with its visitors. He had been a guide and knows that the visitors wish to have more profound information. The museum tries to reflect this. Lately a kindergarten group was organized, and there have always been art students visiting. He is following the role of the museum in the city.

Upon the question by Ms. Ulrike Kretzschmar what advices of foreign experts they had picked up, a member of the Scientific Council responded that Albania had gone through a difficult period, and the NHM had been a victim of things not being done properly. It was very important that what they were doing now was based on trainings, bringing the visitors into the center of efforts. Statistics played an increasing role in this. They had meetings to hear the expectations of disabled citizens. The idea of the Scientific Council was to develop the museum as a meeting point.When Mr. Engelbert Ruoss asked whether the Scientific Council was satisfied with its integration into the decision-making process, Ms. Suela Kusi, focal point of the MTCYS for the UN Joint Programme, explained that the Scientific Council had an advisory role and includes the perspective of the visitors in its recommendations. In 2008 it submitted a big project to the Council of Ministers for the re-conceptualization of the NHM. 15 years ago, there were only weapons and arms in the museum, in line with the saying: “Albanians have gone through history with weapons in their hands.” Five years from now, a lot of changes will be visible.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss asked whether the ministry had included the views of the Scientific Council in its decisions. Mr. Kasem Bicoku responded that the proposals of the Scientific Council had always been endorsed by the ministry, adding that the sector concepts had been developed by experts in


their fields, and that there would also be a special numismatic section.

An elderly member of the Scientific Council recalled the Italian and US projects which dealt with the museum and said that he would appreciate if this time there would be results.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss then asked the members what they would do if they had 100,000 USD to spend on the infrastructure of the museum. The elderly member answered that the elevators and the air condition system were big problems.

Ms. Spreta Gjongecaj, Director of the Institute of Archaeology (of the Center for Albanology), Tirana, agreed with these priorities and adde d that the museum is losing objects which have been collected with great effort, especially coins, but also ceramics. There were so many problems that the question was how much had been achieved.

The archaeological section had not been refurbished since 1985, and the Durres museum was not finished either. However, there were many new objects, and presently there were about 20 expeditions underway which would add more. Ms. Gjongecaj thanked the Advisory Board for their interest and expressed her full support.

Ms. Katerina Nikolaidou, international consultant for the JP, asked whether the plans mentioned existed on paper. Mr. Kasem Bicoku responded that there was a written draft, endorsed by the Scientific Council and submitted to the ministry for funding. The ethnographic section, although almost completed, could not be completed with the money provided so far.

Mr. Kasem Bicoku expressed his wish to have financial support for the completion of the ethnographic section. The air condition system (UK 1981) was functional, but the costs for maintenance cannot be covered from the budget. Other needs were microclimate systems

for showcases, in particular in the numismatic, icons and ethnographic (textiles) sections. These costs had not been included in the plans because it was not realistic to request the amounts required from the government. I.e., the annual cost for the air conditioner is USD 300,000.

Mr. Taher Ghalia, director of the Bardo Museum, Tunis, asked whether there was a project to renew the lighting system, and Mr. Bicoku responded that the lighting system was a part of each section plan and funded through it.

Upon Mr. Ghalia’s question whether there was a scientific catalogue of the objects, Mr. Bicoku explained that the whole collection was catalogued and each of the items had a passport.

Ms. Ulrike Kretzschmar asked the director for which field of work the museum staff spends most of their time. Mr. Bicoku responded that this was to protect the museum. In a situation where there is no funding, the focus is more on the content of the exhibitions and the need of visitors. For example, a new small section on King Zog has recently been put on display.

A young member of the Scientific Council reported that they often discussed the problems of the museum and thought about an action plan. But because there are so many problems, only ad-hoc practical measures can be taken. An action plan should include emergency, short-term and long-term measures. The most urgent was the air condition in order to stop the degradation of the objects. The second priority was to protect specific individual objects, and thirdly, specialists should be trained. Then, the collection of the NHM needed to be enriched.General agreement was expressed that the air condition is the single most urgent problem in the museum. Upon Mr. Engelbert Ruoss’s question if there was anything the members could change without money, and what that would be, there was no conclusive answer.

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WRAP-UP MEEtINg

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss opened the meeting with a feedback discussion and asked about the impressions and opinions of the advisory board after the meeting in the ministry and the visit in the museum. He specifically requested the advisory board to identify immediate measures and missing data, and asked for comments on Iris Pojani’s study.

Mr. Taher Ghalia said that it was very important to have partnerships with other museums, such as the Bardo Museum has with the Louvre, with the support of ICOM, because there are a lot of problems with the conservation.He also noted that the NHM does not have an architect among its staff, and that it seems to have a problem with lighting. Having an architect among the advisory board was very necessary for the work on the interior spaces of the museum.

Ms. Iris Pojani explained that the NHM uses a minimum of lighting in order to protect the objects.

Ms. Ulrike Kretzschmar observed that the museum had huge rooms and a lot of space, which is, however, used only for rather few objects, and that there were big gaps between the different exhibitions. She made the following suggestions for immediate action:

- Protect the objects in the basement (personal effects of Enver Hoxha).- Clean up the museum and remove things which are old or not needed anymore.- Make the main entrance hall more attractive and stop the practice of having temporary exhibitions there.

Ms. Kretzschmar also asked about the number and kind of objects that the museum actually has. It would be really helpful if a catalogue of all the objects was available.

Ms. Iris Pojani explained that although the museum lists about 5,200 objects in its inventory, only about 1,159 were cultural objects while the rest was technical equipment, showcases, furniture etc. without cultural value. The National Center for Inventory is obliged to have the passports for all objects in the museum (and they actually do have) including also the state of preservation for all objects. She assured to provide all data and other information.

She further explained that two painters and two curators are working in a specialized laboratory in the museum according to international standards. Mr. Ols Lafe expressed the idea to start thinking of improving this laboratory and to develop some proposals.

Mr. Ilirian Gjipali mentioned that the mission of the Advisory Board was to put the museum on the right track. Because it had suffered from political influence, it is today the contrary of what it should be. He suggested that there should first be an overall concept, a team of architects should design the interior, and special working groups should develop the different sections.

All that needed to be translated in economic terms, so at the end we would have a comprehensive overview of what we want to change. As the funds are not enough to finish all the works in the museum, he suggested beginning the work partially and step by step, implementing in phases. Mr. Gjipali mentioned the modernization of the museum in Belgrade which had cost 17 mio. USD, and suggested that a similar amount could be needed for the NHM as well.

Mr. Gjipali said that the Scientific Council, when making air condition the first priority, discussed this without knowing about the specific needs and did not ask specialists. The Museum of Archeology was a better example where work had been done in phases and sometimes with lowest costs.

Mr. Luan Malltezi said that the situation of the museum is grave, and was created especially after the 1990s. When he had been participating in the establishment of the museum in 1981, he had worked with the best Albanian specialists and with the commitment of the Albanian government in that period. The museum had been politicized under the socialist system, with the socialist pavilion dominating all other historical periods. After the 1990s, the need to intervene grew, and it is difficult to get used to what we see now, a materialization of the changes in Albania.

Mr. Malltezi said that the temporary exhibitions organized today in the entrance hall were not foreseen in the original concept of the museum, but were a solution under the present circumstances, very much as the requests expressed by the museum staff were a response to the problems in their daily work.


Although we witnessed the nervousness by some (referring to Mr. Ceka), Mr. Malltezi reaffirmed that there was a need for foreign expertise. This gentleman was looking for short-term support, but it would be worthless to make investments without a vision and a comprehensive and full project.

Mr. Malltezi suggested that the Advisory board should prepare such a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, in order to bring the museum to a contemporary level. The Albanian society will need a national museum on European standards. This would be a heavy workload for the Advisory Board, and would require good understanding by the MTCYS, but the safest way to hope for international support. As a start, special working groups should be set up. Now the political situation allowed doing that without political interference, and the Albanians understood that the NHM is for all Albanians.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss summarized the situation as follows: While the premises existed and the building needed no change, the “software” was totally missing and there were too many staff. No strategy existed for the museum, and individual experts made their exhibitions. There was no human resources management, no annual planning and unsatisfactory governance. The council should meet more often. The organigram was not logic, and work was organized around people, not job descriptions. Visitor orientation does not exist. The museum was one of experts for experts, and there was no legislative framework.

Concerning the “hardware”, Mr. Ruoss noted that while the need to make the air condition system and the elevators functional was expressed, no priorities were mentioned which could be implemented without money. However, the Advisory Board could do that within 2-3 months. Hardware problems were 1) the electric substation, 2) the lack of an architect for interior design, the entrance hall and the collection space. A laboratory was not needed because a top-level restoration laboratory existed in the Institute for Cultural Monuments. There was an excess of personnel for security, whereas this could be guaranteed by a video camera system. The JP could make the air condition system functional, but only if the running costs were guaranteed. A shop and restaurant could be built in the entrance hall.

As next steps, Mr. Ruoss announced that a strategy paper will be developed, the analysis of the NHM

updated, and in September a strategy for the governance will be prepared. In mid-September work will start for the preparation of an exhibition concept, which however may follow the requirements of the building rather than the sequence of historical periods.

Ms. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett expressed the idea of moving in a comprehensive way, looking carefully at the electrical station in the basement of the museum. As this project is unique in the world, there must be a good collaboration between two UN agencies and the government (the ministries).

Ambassador Montobbio said that it was very interesting to hear from the Albanian members of the Advisory Board. With the budget of the project being limited, he requested them to ask themselves what could be brought from the world with the help of the project that otherwise could not be done. He underlined the fact that it’s not the purpose of the project spending money on air condition since Albania did not need foreign assistance to do that. The Albanians had an opportunity to create something with all international support, quite similar to Spain where the first books on the Spanish Civil War were written by foreigners.

Ambassador Montobbio challenged the Advisory board members to freely propose their own ideas and give their own experience on this work. It was important to develop concepts and strategies.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss requested the Advisory Board to come up with proposals concerning the analysis of the museum and the concept for governance and management until the next meeting. As a basis for discussion, Katerina Nikolaidou will send her assessments to all members, including draft concepts on visitor orientation, government structure, information and experience, making use of the extensive materials available for this at the ICOM library in Paris. Furthermore, he asked the MTCYS to kindly make available the documents concerning the new permanent exhibitions.

Mr. Ols Lafe said that it’s important to come up with resourceful suggestions until the next meeting, because the ministry is seen as a stepping stone in all that. Actually there is no plan in the ministry how to change any section of the museum, and there are no actions taken by the Ministry without due process. All documents prepared or on the way will be provided to Advisory Board to give their suggestions and opinions.

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As long as the Advisory Board will be working, there will be no investments in the exhibitions, but possibly in the infrastructure.

Mr. Ols Lafe requested the Advisory Board to submit a concept of how the NHM will look inside from the entrance to the exit. This concept should be subdivided to different projects, describing all the

action necessary, and not limiting itself by budget considerations.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss concluded the meeting hoping that in two months some concrete and tangible results could already be seen.

Tirana, 18 July 2009

Stephan Doempke, Valbona Kaso


Summary note by the chair of the first meeting of the Advisory Board, 03 July 2009

SUMMARY NOTE OF THE FIRST MEETING OF THE ADVISORY BOARD TO THE NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM IN TIRANA, ALBANIA

Drafted byEngelbert Ruoss

Director, UNESCO Venice Office13th July 2009, revised 30th July 2009

1. Final discussion of the Advisory Board

At its first official meeting, the Advisory Board has discussed some key points which should be taken into consideration in the context of the re-conceptualization of the National History Museum in Tirana:

Management and Governance:

1. Long-term framework, strategy and vision for the museum needs to be elaborated2. A description of competences for the Museum staff is needed3. The roles and responsibilities of governance bodies and management need to be defined (ToR

for members of the Scientific Council and for the positions of Director and Deputy Director of the Museum). The governing bodies should assume more active and regular role in guiding, supervising and promoting the Museum, and their membership should be comprised of individuals with management expertise and international experience.

4. A human resources strategy needs to be elaborated that is coherent with the mandate and goals/objectives of the Museum, complete with staff planning and job descriptions

5. The organizational chart should be target-oriented and key staff competences be introduced (such as museologist, scientific coordinator, Deputy Director, IT, museums pedagogic, etc.)

6. The Museum’s re-conceptualization should focus on visitors (rather than scientists).7. The management and staff of the Museum should be involved in a coherent and ongoing

communication and public relations process, in order to build up a joint and coherent image for the Museum.

8. Relevant laws and regulations should be revised according to the new strategy approved.9. Incentives should be made available to enhance the number and quality of initiatives taken by the

Museum (e.g. funding mechanisms) 10. Partnerships to be established or improved on national and international levels11. The collections that are currently located in the basement should be moved to the upper floors and

objects should be cleaned and made ready for presentation.

Infrastructural measures:

12. The electricity transformer station in the building must be relocated immediately. Such a station should not be located in a publicly accessible building (urgent)

13. A new flexible and modern museum building concept needs to be elaborated by architects taking into account the visitors flow (first priority)

14. According to the Albanian Scientific Council, the air conditioning system is not functioning and

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should be considered a first priority for investments. The air conditioning system has to be based on the new concept for the Museum. Until the location of collections, exhibitions service rooms, lab etc. is planned and approved, the system should not be installed. Furthermore, the running costs and maintenance for the system have to be organized and guaranteed before the installation (second priority)

15. The elevator is not functioning and needs to be reinstalled. This should be part of the new museum concept, allowing access to handicapped persons (second priority). According to the UNRC, there could be other funds available for this purpose, e.g. from UNDP’s social inclusion programme.

16. The entrance hall should be visitor friendly and attract new visitors. It should link to other parts of the Museum, such as the gift shop, a restaurant, and exhibitions. It is considered an important part of the Museum and therefore gets high priority. An improved gift shop could bring further attraction and contribute to the Museums budget. The entrance hall combines content, architecture and communication and will give a high visibility to both the Museum and the JP (highest priority).

17. A security system does not exist in the Museum. The presence of a high number of staff in the badly visited exhibitions is costly and inefficient. The installation of a video surveillance system will reduce the number of security staff necessary, and create opportunities to use staff to reinforce other activities. The measure has therefore a high impact on the performance of the Museum. The activity is highly dependent on the planned exhibition concept. A first step could be the installation of a surveillance system and as a second step, the showcase “highlights” alarm system. This activity should also be combined with a training of responsible staff on security procedures and standards (first priority).

18. A new lighting concept needs to be elaborated in connection with the new exhibitions concept (first priority).

A clear commitment from the Ministry is needed to change the above key factors related to management and governance. With harmonized procedures the activities could start immediately. The planning of “Management and Governance” as well as “Infrastructural measures” will have to run in parallel due to their interdependence on one another.

The Museum staff should be permanently involved into all NHM activities implemented by the MDG-F project and be enabled and encouraged to contribute to the development of concepts and their subsequent implementation.

The Consultants are requested to concentrate in their conceptualization on the key points mentioned above. The strategy focusing on management and governance and the museums concept as UNESCO activities and the security system and the entrance hall as UNDP activities could start immediately.


2. Action plan

July/August

What When Who

1. Feedback to “Background Study” on the National History Museum to Iris Pojani 20th July AB

2. Revision of the “Background Study” and the study on the “Needs Assessment” of the NHM 24th July KN

3. Comments to study on the “Needs Assessment” to Katerina Nikolaidou 31st July AB

4. Drafting of the strategy for “Management and Governance” based on material existing in ICOM and UNESCO for consultation for AB members 14th August KN

5. Inputs to strategy for “Management and Governance” 28th August AB

6. Preparation of existing and approved plans for the exhibitions 28th August MTCYS

7. Preparation of the second AB Meeting 21st August PMT

8. Draft framework and table of content for new museum concept 4th September KN

9. Second advisory meeting (date to be confirmed)Weeks of 7th and 14th September

PMT

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Minutes of the 2nd Advisory Board session, 07-08 September 2009

Minutes of the 2nd NHM Advisory Board Working SessionRogner Hotel, Tirana, Albania

07 – 08 September 2009

Participants:

AB Members:Mr. Ilber Ortayli Mr. Fiorenzo Galli (joined the second session through videoconference) Mr. Ilir GjipaliMs. Ulrike Kretzschmar (from the 2nd session)Mr. Luan Malltezi Mr. Engelbert Ruoss (ex officio and secretariat) Mr. Ols Lafe (ex officio)

Invited specialists:Mr. Christian Axt (museum architect, Berlin)Ms. Maria Xanthoudaki (Education Director, Da Vinci Museum, Milan (joined for second session through videoconference)Mr. Kasem Biçoku (Director NHM)Ms. Katerina Nikolaidou (International Consultant for CHSED JP)

Special invitees:Ms. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett, UN Resident CoordinatorH.E Mr. Manuel Montobbio, Ambassador of Spain to Albania Mr. Norimasa Shimomura, UNDP Country Director

Others:Mr. Stephan Doempke, JP Coordinator Ms. Entela Lako, UNDP Cluster ManagerMs. Lauren Bohatka, UNESCO MDG-F Projects AssistantMs. Zhulieta Harasani, UNESCO National Project Officer for CHSED JP

1. Background and Needs Assessment Studies

With the one correction concerning the number of staff, the NHM Background Study was recommended for endorsement. It was also reemphasized and agreed by the AB that they should not recommend to increase the number of staff at the Museum (which is regulated by law), but to instead make recommendations that reshuffle or reuse the existing

staff available.

The Needs Assessment Study was also endorsed by the AB. The work by the consultant was praised for her thorough detailing on how to bring the NHM in Tirana up to international museum standards and comparison to best practices.


2. Governance and Management Study

2.1. Mission Statement

A draft new mission statement was proposed:“The National History Museum aims to foster understanding and appreciation of the history of Albania to local, national and international audiences and to encourage dialogue with and among citizens on the Albanian past, present and future. To this purpose, it acquires, conserves and researches tangible and intangible evidence of the historical and cultural heritage of Albania, which it communicates and exhibits in an environment that stimulates education and entertainment. It also organizes and facilitates activities which promote its vision and mission.”

The following conclusions were drawn from the discussion on the mission statement:

• It was felt that exhibiting and explaining the Albanian contribution to world civilization should also be part of its mission.

• The use of “it” should be replaced by “we” to indicate that this mission statement comes from the Museum itself.

• It was agreed that education should be emphasized in the mission statement as a necessary function of the museum. Museums are no longer conservation systems, but communication systems, and education is the most important component for countries to exchange their experience and for the internationalization of the museum.

• A focus on entertainment is just as important as history, for the modern museum, in order to evoke interest in the latter. This should also be emphasized in the mission statement.

• The mission statement should reflect the relationship with the other museums and archaeological parks in the country.

• No extra mention needs to be made of minorities since the statement is written in an inclusive manner. However, the Roma and other minorities should be explicitly mentioned in the documents concerning the content development of the museum.

It was recommended that the suggestions on Albania’s role in the history of civilizations and the “we” approach in wording, along with the links to other museums and archaeological parks be reflected in the mission statement for the latter to provide quite a good picture of what NHM should be. Ms. Nikolaidou was asked to reformulate the mission statement taking into consideration the AB’s recommendations. The revised mission statement will be available in the forthcoming revised Governance and Management Study by the consultant.

2.2 Governance structure and organizational chart

Senior ManagementA new governance structure was suggested and discussed which foresees a Board of Trustees with strategic decision-making powers and a director with executive authority and operational decision-making powers. A scientific council (advisory board under the director) should provide advice in expert matters. Two deputy directors were suggested – one for content-related issues and one for administration. The overall number of staff should not be increased, but a wide-ranging re-organization is foreseen.

Mr. Lafe remarked that traditionally the management responsibilities were shared between director and deputy director, and it could be difficult to have the parliament agree to two deputy directors. He also suggested minimizing the number of departments to only 6-7. He brought up the suggestion of only one, not two, assistants to the director and deputy director(s) and that the chief of visitor facilities can be in charge of finance, as well.

DepartmentsThree main departments should be established under the Deputy Director of Programs for collection, exhibition and education.

Security and Maintenance should be combined in one person’s TOR, adding “safety” to the security responsibilities.

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An additional department should be established for “Communication and Development” with both an internal and external function and directly under the director. Among the units of this department should be:

a) An in-house unit that will organize events, concerts, etc. with one programmer/organizer and 2-3 tech staff to prepare the stage, sound and light equipment. This tech staff needs to be additional because it will have to work mostly in the evenings;b) A unit in charge of international cooperation and exchange, fundraising and partnerships.

The human capital inside the museum should be enhanced through the position of a Human Resources Officer for capacity-development and career promotion. This position could be combined or overlap with that of the Deputy Director of Administration.

CuratorsMr. Ortayli, supported by Ms. Kretzschmar, suggested that the curators should not be responsible for collections organized by time periods but instead related to materials (expert on ceramics, wood, etc). Mr. Biçoku voiced that the breakdown of curators should be reflective of what is existing in the museum, such as the extensive collection of 16-19th c. wooden icons. It was suggested to see the inventory list of the museum, which the director was requested to submit to the international consultant. Overall, it was agreed that curators should be organized by substance/materials, not time periods, and reflective of what currently exists in the museum collections.

OutsourcingThere was general consensus that for compelling reasons the gift shop and café/restaurant should be outsourced.

ConclusionsMr. Ruoss reinforced that we need to focus what changes are needed, be more strategic than operational. We need to look at the big picture and identify the changes in the law that would affect the entire structure and allow our recommended structure to be put in place.

3. Albanian Law on Museums

Mr. Gjipali explained that the Albanian Law on Museums does not cover many of the suggestions of the report

since it does not regulate the operation of museums. The National Council for Museums consists of people who are not necessarily museum experts. This issue has been brought up to Parliament but has not been on the agenda.

Mr. Lafe requested Ms. Nikolaidou to work closely together with the MoTCYS’s lawyers when working out the recommended new statutes of the Museum. He also requested recommendations from the AB on how to change the law on museums so that their other recommendations on governance, management, etc, can be adopted by the National Council for Museums and the MoTCYS without delay. The new organigram suggested for the museum could face difficulties in its implementation if the law on museums is not accordingly changed as well.

4. Museum Building and Exhibitions

4.1. Priorities and Plans of the NHM

Mr. Kasem Biçoku explained that the NHM needs substantial improvement of its technical infrastructure (thermo-isolation, air condition, safety and security, electricity supply). In the basement, there are three electrical substations which also emit electro-magnetic radiation. Asbestos is used for the thermo-isolation of the air conditioning equipment, the surface and the ceilings of the halls, and probably the pillars from the ground to the 3rd floor. The entrance hall, the exhibition halls and the atrium need urgent interventions to become more functional.

It was agreed that more concrete information is needed on the asbestos situation in the NHM.

Mr. Biçoku explained that he has stopped further works on the ethnographic pavilion, which he never favored, after hearing the advice of Mr. Axt. The new archaeology pavilion is in draft stage, and the work won’t start without AB recommendation. The NHM has submitted projects to the Government only to prove that more funds are needed to properly display Albania’s history, i.e. 100,000 artifacts presently locked up in the Institute of Archaeology.

Mr. Doempke added that there are also 33,000 undisplayed objects under the Institute of Anthropology and Art. He suggested that the NHM AB at its next meeting have a look at this collection, as well as the National Archives, in order to have an idea of what this museum could be.


Mr. Ols Lafe promised an inventory of the NHM in English divided into categories. He recommended to start with the room allocation very soon and also with planning so that the activities that cannot be covered by the JP be duly planned by the state budget.

It was agreed that as the collections cannot be moved anywhere, the AB should focus first on developing an emergency plan for the building before starting with issues of collections management.

4.2. Summary of observations by Christian Axt, Museum Architect

Earthquake ProtectionThe NHM is composed of four separate buildings – probably to protect it from earthquakes: Two side wings, the front side and the ‘bridge’ in the north. Mr. Biçoku reported that the tremors (5 Richter) of the recent earthquake were not really felt and that the NHM is seismic protected.

Staircases / SafetyThere is only one staircase that runs from ground to the 3rd floor and it is for administration-use only. The distance between the various staircases is too long in case of a fire, and there exists a dead-end hall of 45m. All staircases are open to the exhibition halls, but they must be separated from them in case of emergency or to be able to isolate fires, should they occur, with each staircase having its own window to bring smoke outside. Possibly one or more new staircases could be built outside the present walls in the atrium. The same problem in the German Historical Museum in Berlin was solved with a small budget.

Mr. Biçoku added that there is also a staircase in the East wing which runs from the 1st to the 3rd floor which is presently closed.

Floors / Heavy ObjectsThe floors are in a good general condition. In the West wing of the ground floor, where the archaeological pavilion is now situated, the floor is not grounded but elevated, with the air condition and transformers under them. The floor is not very stable because it is built upon the ceiling of the basement rooms.

There are 4 very heavy objects in the 1st floor, where a crack can be seen, and about 6-7 objects on the ground floor, and more heavy objects may be brought from the archaeological museum in the future.

The average admissible load on the floors is 400-500kg/m2, and in concentrated form 1,500kg/m2.

There was agreement that this is sufficient if the heavy objects were put on wider pedestals in order to distribute the load, and that the NHM can accomplish this with local expertise. It was also expressed that the cracks may not be due to an overload but to a sinking of the soil.

Mobility for HandicappedThe ground and third floors have many steps that require visitors to go up and down a number of times, which limits access for the handicapped. Only the 2nd floor is on one level. There is no ready explanation for this.

Elevators There are three elevators that run from the ground floor to the 3rd floor, one of which also goes to the basement. It should be easy to repair or replace them, according to Mr. Axt.

Room allocationExhibition areas are located in the western wing of the ground floor, and in three wings on the other floors. The North wing houses the administration on all floors.

Because water and sewage pipes are available only in the west wing – the only one which has a basement underneath - the preferable option for a café/restaurant would be in the west wing and in that corner of the yard, which could be divided between exhibition and recreation activities.

Mr. Biçoku shared his idea to remove the heavy objects to the courtyard which in turn needs to be partially covered with a transparent roof or glass roof to protect them and create the necessary microclimate to exhibit the stone objects. Combined with the mosaic and the gate in the courtyard, they could create a mini archaeological park.

SecurityThere are many entrances to the museum, also 1-2 direct entrances to rooms where objects are situated. Some doors are open day and night. Fire protection and alarm system are installed but not running. There are cameras and detectors, but probably not running so need to be renewed.

Technical equipmentThe pipes inside the pillars which drain the water from the roof may have to be replaced. It is unclear where the huge vertical pipes in the building go. Maybe they continue horizontally underneath the floors, elevating them, thus giving reason for the steps.

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AsbestosMr. Axt assumed that asbestos has been used in the basement only, since the pillars are too thin to be covered with asbestos. During the meeting, however, the director of the NHM received further information that asbestos was to be found throughout the building.

Closing the museum, temporary or travelling exhibitionIt was discussed whether the NHM should be closed in part or in total during the modernization works. While a total closure would allow faster work and better protection of the objects, it would leave Tirana without a museum. In order to remedy that situation, it was suggested to create a temporary exhibition from

its most important parts. Another suggestion was to send such an exhibition on a tour through major towns in Europe and America in order to improve Albania’s image abroad and also earn some money for the museum.

Quick VisibilityWhile the desirability of starting some activities that would give visibility to the project was emphasized, the NHM situation was considered to be too complex to consider immediate activities right away, and a comprehensive concept for the museum needed to be developed before starting works for a faster visibility and delivery.

Summary and RecommendationsMr. Axt proposed to:

1. Renew the elevators

2. Build a small shop in the entrance hall and the café in the yard.

3. Use the entrance hall as an area to provide orientation in the museum.

4.Replace all doors and windows, including frames, in the ground floor because they are single glass which is insufficient in terms of thermo-insulation and security.

5. Keep the layout of the exhibitions as it is. On the 2nd and 3rd floors, reduce the exhibition space by a 2m strip between the façade and the columns and use it as a working area for acclimatization etc. The façade will look the same from outside, and inside it will be organized differently with all the windows closed.

6. Build another staircase to meet standards for emergency escape.

7. Install a new security system.

8.The height of the floors (about 6.30 m) may be used to accommodate new lighting and air condition systems. This would lower the ceiling by only 80-100cm.

9.The roof was repaired 5 years ago and needs to be checked whether there is enough insulation otherwise it will let the heat through to the 3rd floor. Putting solar energy panels there would make the NHM independent from energy crisis.

Mr. Ruoss then summarized the priority next steps:

1. Conduct of the analysis on asbestos and its potential risks;

2. Elaboration of an emergency plan taking into account the emergency exits and aesthetics of building

3. Elaboration of a room concept on the basis of these reports

4. Taking concrete measures or decisions, accordingly.


Mr. Ruoss wrapped up the sessions with the last recommendation would be to have a work plan with cost estimates attached to it, taking into account the new findings on the NHM. The project team should elaborate the NHM AB annual work plan with fixed meeting dates so that the members can book those dates and plan in advance.

5. New Museum and Exhibition Concept

5.1. General approach

Mrs. Nikolaidou explained that the aim of her concept for the NHM exhibitions is to enhance the image of the NHM as history museum, yet different from the archaeological museum. There will be no scholarly classification of artifacts, but artifacts and other displays should be only the means to illustrate history. The information material available will be optimized for visitor presentation through maps, illustrations etc. The main principle is not to separate history from archaeology, but using the latter to present history.

The time span of the NHM should include modern times and the post-communist era. In order to realize this, research into other kinds of sources like audiovisual and international archives, as well as interdisciplinary cooperation between architects, museologists and experts (archaeologist, history, etc) are needed.

Responding to an argument that a concept for the exhibitions should be based upon a full inventory of the available objects, Ms. Nikolaidou added that where history is not fully represented through artifacts, it is feasible to document the missing periods through audiovisual materials, and that the NHM is about presenting history, not artifacts.

5.2. The NHM and other museums

Although a decision had been taken concerning the future scope of the NHM, it was expressed that the question whether the NHM should remain a Historical Museum or change into a National Museum (including aspects like ethnography) should be subject of a wide and institutionalized public debate.

It was also discussed whether there should be one very big museum where all important objects of the country are concentrated, at the expense of the other museums which will not be interesting enough for visitors, or three museums of national importance in Tirana. It

was emphasized that this question is linked to tourism development in Albania and in Tirana, in particular, and requires a strategic decision by the government.

While on the one hand, considering the rich materials stored in the museums, National Archive and the Archaeological Institute at a time when the number of tourists is increasing, there was clearly room for several museums, it was also expressed that i.e. there could be other archaeological museums in addition to the pavilion of the NHM, but another opinion was that it was not realistic to assume that other museums could be built in addition to the NHM.

5.3. Training Needs

It was suggested that parallel to the modernization of the NHM building, the staff knowledge and skills needed to be upgraded to better fit to the new NHM structure. Needs mentioned in that context were English language abilities, fundraising and project proposal design/writing. Such activities could be supported under the communication plan and capacity building. Museum staff could be taken on field visits to see examples of best practice.

6. Conclusions

6.1. Management and Governance

Elements that were recommended to be reflected in the Mission Statement:

1. the role of Albanian history in the international context,

2. educational and entertainment dimension,

3. the change of “it” to “we” to reflect museum staff contribution.

The organizational chart will reconsider:

1. the number of unit directly under the director (7) with no deputy directors,

2. specialization of the curators,

3. outsourcing the security, café and gift shop,

4. keeping the total number of staff at 39 while redefining their tasks,

5. redefining the level of junior and senior staff,

6.

creating a Communications and Development Department directly under the Director and including units for events and international cooperation.

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6.2. Concept

The concept should deal with Exhibitions – What part of the history of Albania do we want to present and how?Research – What are the insufficiently documented historical periods in Albania, where do we have to foster research with the existing institutes? Education and entertainment – How do we organize the museum to make it interactive, welcoming to scholars and visitors, to help them understand Albanian history?Communication and development – How to communicate what and to who, organize events, develop the NHM’s visitor concept, develop international cooperation, financing and fundraising etc.?Capacity-building – How do we manage change in the NHM and train staff to be able to cope with the future tasks?Visitor services – How do we guide the visitor through the museum, cater for their needs, and offer goods to buy?

6.3. Museum Building

There was common agreement that there is a need for a comprehensive technical investigation of a) the asbestos problem, b) the building (including the condition of its construction materials, statics and seismic stability) and c) the entire technical infrastructure (including the air condition system, electricity supply, water pipes, security of artifacts and visitors), each with a cost estimate. Only on that basis the scope of the necessary interventions can be determined and then an architectural and technical plan can be developed which will include at the same time the technical interventions, the room allocation and the design of the new permanent exhibition.

UNDP informed that technical documentation of the entire building can be collected at the Ministry of Construction and Institute of Monuments of Culture,

and assured that they will prepare the necessary tenders immediately. UNESCO offered support in drafting the TORs for tasks a) and b). It was agreed that the next AB Meeting should be postponed to mid-November, when at least preliminary results of these studies will be available, in order to be able to decide on next steps and a time line.

Mr. Doempke added that the Board should consider the best suitable temporary storage of objects while improvements are underway. He suggested that UNESCO can provide technical assistance to train people how to do that and bring expertise.

7. Next Steps

Mr. Ruoss, revisiting the issue of the NHM AB communication plan, said that the Board needs to have some PR planning: meetings with ministries in near future and present to the public the JP activities and results. He proposed that:

1. The next AB Meeting be held on 16-17 November.

2. We may plan for another meeting in December to go over the structure and reports so that by the end of year we can start the work.

3.

In spring we may plan one visit to Milano or Istanbul; February- March 2010. Some key persons from Albania who will support the development of the museum should attend, besides the AB members.

4. There is a need to start planning our activities of the AB for the whole year in advance.

It was envisaged that the AB members visit other museums (Kruja, Durres) during their next mission. Mrs. Gülden Türköz-Cosslett asked that the management structure of the Museum and proposals for outsourcing of the facilities should be put together in a proposal to be provided to the Minister.

Stephan Doempke, Tirana, 27 October 2009


Conclusions and Recommendations of the 2nd session of the Advisory Board, 07-08 September 2009

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Advisory Board working session7 – 8 September 2009

Rogner Hotel

At this working session of the advisory board to the National History Museum has:

• Taken note of the changes and additional information due to proposals made by AB members, which were included in the reports discussed during the 1st AB meeting (needs assessment, background study);

• Endorsed the two reports and acknowledged the excellent work performed by the national and international consultants, Iris Pojani and Katerina Nikolaidou;

• Discussed the report “Suggestions for Governance and Management” and focused on the main points of the mission statement and organizational chart. The report prepared by Ms. Nikolaidou is considered an excellent basis for further discussions (session 2);

• Supported the strong focus on a broad understanding of history within the mission statement and linguistic changes made by its members;

• Endorsed requested changes in the chart proposed by Ms. Nikolaidou and has agreed to give:

• More evidence to education and entertainment and international cooperation by adding supplemental competences;

• Outsource activities which are not strategic and to merge safety and maintenance of premises;

• To rethink the governance structure and to revisit the legal status of its bodies;

• Recommends to include proposals which are ideal but also realistic and to focus on a chart and functions which correspond to a modern museum (such as museologist) without being restricted to present legal situation;

• Takes note that the Ministry representative has responded positively to the AB recommendations on management and governance and accepts the task to make suggestions within the existing laws and statues based on the results achieved during the discussions of the AB;

• Acknowledged the material presented by the NHM (session 3):

• Archaeological exhibition,• Ethnographic exhibition, and• Plans of the museum;

• Requested the NHM to translate the list of collections and objects by category;

• Has taken note of the situation of the building (asbestos, transformation station, etc)

• Has taken note of the situation of the building and exhibitions as presented by guest expert Mr. Christian Axt;

• Considers the investigations related to materials (asbestos, amia) and risks (transformation station) as priorities;

• Agrees that an emergency investigation with seismic assessment, statics assessment needs to be undertaken immediately before proceeding with visible works;

• Recommends that the room concept should be established before deciding any measures, as well;

• Agrees that on the basis of the results of the emergency investigations and the room concept, an action plan has to be defined;

• Considers that priority could be given to the courtyard with conceptualization of the restaurant and shop;

• Recommends to remove the heavy objects on the 2nd floor, based on the measurement of statics;

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• Requests the MDG-F project team to elaborate a work plan for the next 3-4 months, based upon these recommendations;

• Agrees to determine our own work plan and meeting schedule for future AB meetings in 2009 and 2010;

• Agrees that in connection to the conceptualiza-tion to invite involved persons for background information (such as original architects, techni-cians) to the next meeting;

• Considered the following issues to be included into the concept for the NHM:

• National museum framework concept and network of museums in Albania

• Categorization of the collections• Exhibit topics to be presented

• Research into history, ethnography, socio-economic development of Albania

• Education• Entertainment• Communication• International cooperation with public

relations and institutional cooperation• Visitor experience• Financial and fund-raising concepts

• Agrees to develop an internal communication plan for staff training and capacity building for the work of the AB to be communicated to the public, Government, media, etc;

• Agrees to hold the next working session around the 16-17th of November 2009.


Minutes of the 3rd Advisory Board session, 24-25 November 2009

“CULTURE AND HERITAGE FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT”

NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM ADVISORY BOARD MEETINGRogner Hotel Europapark, 24-25 November 2009

NHM AB members:

1. Mrs. ULRIKE KRETZSCHMAR, Director of Exhibition Department, German Historical Museum (GHM), Berlin,Germany;2. Mr. ILIR GJIPALI, Head of ICOM, Tirana, Albania;3. Mrs. MARIA XANTHOUDAKI, Delegate of the National Museum of Science and Technology, Milano, Italy;4. Mrs. CLIO KARAGEORGHIS, Delegate of ICOM International, Paris, France; 5. Mrs. VANESSA KREDLER, UNESCO Culture Sector, Paris , France; 6. Mrs. VALENTINA DUKA, Vice Dean of Faculty of History and Philology, Tirana University.

Ex-officio member:

7. Mr. ENGELBERT RUOSS, Director UNESCO-BRESCE

Implementing UN partners and donor:

8. Mrs. GULDEN TURKOZ – COSSLETT, UN Resident Coordinator9. H.E. MANUEL MONTOBBIO, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain10. Mr. NORIMASA SHIMOMURA, UNDP Country Director

Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports:

11. Mr. FERDINAND XHAFERRI, Minister12. Mrs. SUZANA TURKU, Deputy Minister13. Mrs. SUELA KUSI, CHSED focal point14. Mrs. ARLINDA KONDI TOCI, Head of Museums, National Heritage Department15. Mr. LUAN MALLTEZI , NHM Director

NHM AB UNESCO local consultant:

16. Mrs. IRIS POJANI

MDG-F UN JP Team:

17. Mr. STEPHAN DOEMPKE, JP coordinator 18. Mrs. ENTELA LAKO, UNDP Program Analyst19. Mrs. ZHULIETA HARASANI, UNESCO National Professional Officer20. Mrs. DASARA DIZDARI, UNDP Project Manager 21. Mrs. VALBONA KASO, UNDP Project Assistant

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I. WELCOME ADDRESSESMrs. Gulden Turkoz-Cosslet, United Nations Resident Coordinator, opened the third NHM Advisory Board meeting by welcoming all the participants and especially the new members of the NHM Advisory Board. She emphasized the importance of having some very concrete recommendations at the end of the 3rd NHM AB meeting to be handed over to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports for final decisions. She congratulated Mr. Malltezi on his new assignment as the NHM Director.

Mrs. Suzana Turku, Deputy Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, thanked the Spanish Government and the UN implementing Agencies for the great support rendered to the Albanian culture in general and the National History Museum in particular. She expressed the gratitude and the strong belief that the international and national experts of the NHM Advisory Board will provide the best advice as to the interventions to be carried out to the NHM in order for the latter to be converted into a modern institution.

H.E. Manuel Montobbio, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain, thanked the NHM AB members and the other participants, for volunteering their time and providing their expertise on the best practices in museology. He reiterated the advisory nature of the NHM Board recommendations to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports which will have the final say as to the ultimate decisions on the activities to be implemented in the NHM. The preliminary recommendations have to get the blessing from the National Steering Committee. Given the unexpected results of the NHM structural, seismic and asbestos studies, he underscored the need for the Government of Albania to allocate funding from the state budget for the implementation of NHM activities.

Mr. Engelbert Ruoss, Director of UNESCO Office in Venice, thanked the honorable NHM AB members and participants and introduced the new NHM AB national member, Mrs. Valentina Duka, recommended by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports to replace Mr. Malltezi, the new NHM Director. He introduced the delegates of the NHM AB members: Mrs. Maria Xanthoudaki, National Museum of Science and Technology, Milano, Italy; Mrs. Clio Karageorghis, Louvre Museum- Delegate of ICOM International, Paris, France; Mrs. Vanessa

Kredler, UNESCO Culture Sector, Paris, France; and explained the role and the functions of the NHM AB as advisor to MoTCYS, hence the need to be concise and concrete in the recommendations. He also noted the excellent work that has been made by the two museum consultants, Ms. Katerina Nikolaidou and Mrs. Iris Pojani, for the work they have done on the four documents presented to the advisory board in 2009. Other members of the board seconded this opinion throughout the meeting.

II. BRIEFING ON THE NHM AB WORKING SESSION (7-8 Sept. 2009)

Mr. Ruoss briefed the members on the last NHM AB meeting in 7-8 Sept.09 by going over the preliminary findings, discussions and recommendations already contained and shared in the minutes: NHM Governance and Management Structure Study - Mission Statement; Governance structure and organizational chart; the new Museum and Exhibition Concept; the need to conduct the NHM structure, seismic and asbestos analysis; Elaboration of an NHM emergency plan and a room concept on the basis of these reports.

Mr. Ruoss informed on the studies on asbestos, seismic and NHM structure commissioned by UNDP and the cooperation between the MoTCYS and the UNESCO consultant on the potential legal changes.

III. CRITICAL ISSUES IN THE NHM LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Mrs. Arlinda Kondi, Head of Museums, National Heritage Dept. MoTCYS briefed the NHM AB members about the Law on Museum passed by the Parliament in 2005 and the need to upgrade it to:

1. Better reflect the obligations deriving from the Convention of Illicit Traffic of Cultural Properties (define categories of tradable objects, licensing; impose strong penal, administrative or civil sanctions; regulate the regime of excavation, storage, registering, conservation and display of the new archaeological objects etc. )

2. Clearly state the:a. Scope and activity of the museums (preservation,

restoration, promotion, publications, educational


work, temporary and permanent exhibitions, scientific work, security issues etc.)

b. Nomination procedure for the museum directors, managers, curators.

c. Upgrade of the public and scholars access to these museums.

d. Use of the NHM revenues.e. Role of the State Commission of Museums

(monitoring and giving general guidance as to their work standard) and the role of Scientific Councils of each national museum (setting standards, and methods of work for each museum)

f. Introduction of financial incentives (tax deduction to encourage donations)

Mr. Ruoss and Mr. Gjipali clarified on the change regarding the reporting line of the NHM and Museums in general following the endorsement of the new law on the Academy of Science and the reform in the science system. Certain museums like the archaeological one are actually under the Institute of Albanology which reports to the Ministry of Education and Science. Certain speakers emphasized the flexible and open character of the Law on Museums and the need to introduce some recent best practices like outsourcing certain activities, delegating certain authorities to the commissions and to the NHM director; the composition of the State Commission on Museums giving priority to the members- experts in the field.

Recommendation:

Bearing that the Law on Museums is open and flexible enough to allow for most of the interventions and the legal procedures to enact certain changes, the NHM AB in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth, and Sports will elaborate a new statute for the NHM and will provide inputs on the changes related to the Law on Museums.

IV. NHM GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Mrs. Iris Pojani, UNESCO NHM local consultant made a presentation on the Governance and management Structure study prepared by the NHM UNESCO International consultant, Mrs. Katerina Nikolaidou focusing on the NHM AB recommendations during the working session in September 2009. They consisted mainly on enhancing:

• The educative and entertaining role of the museum

• Its mission towards presenting Albanian history to the rest of the world and in contributing to shaping the future of the country

• The engagement of museum staff in the mission accomplishment

• The museum’s connection with other institutions, in the context of networking

NHM AB suggestions reflected into the NHM Governance structure are related to:

• The role of the Director in decision-making

• Reporting line of the Director and how to ensure for his/her accountability.

• The bodies that have a role in policy-making: NHM Scientific Board and Executive Advisory Board.

• The role of the internal stakeholders (staff, Ministry) in policy-making.

• The role of the external stakeholders (e.g. local authorities, donors etc) in the governance structure.

NHM AB suggestions reflected into the NHM Management structure are related to:

• Outsourcing services like security, café and shop, cleaning/ gardening.

• An enhanced monitoring system for public procurement, directly supervised by the Deputy Director (responsible for HR and administration)

• A reduced number of staff (28 employees) to make up for the cost of outsourcing of certain services

• Enhanced role of the Education Department, restructured in units on Collections, Exhibitions, Education

• Communication managed by the Director

The discussions of several NHM AB members were focused mainly on the NHM Board:

- its composition in terms of the expertise of its members

- National vs. international and- The NHM organigram

There was a general consensus that there should be one National Advisory Board with ONLY experts of the priority fields for the NHM sitting on it. NHM

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will invite the international members to join the NHM AB meetings as external members and provide their international expertise and support to NHM. This was considered as crucial for the NHM. The organigram should be further worked graphically to better reveal the reporting line of the several functions i.e. Departments of exhibitions, education and collections directly under the NHM director and to best support the decisions on the NHM content. Support staff should also be included. Outsourcing was considered as the contemporary international trend with the museums: All what is not core to the museum activity should be outsourced. It is important to look at it in the long-term perspective. Even if the financial situation is not favorable yet for that, “outsourcing” should still remain in the document for a near future reconsideration.

Recommendation:

With the alterations in the organigram, the governance and management structure was endorsed by the NHM AB, with the recommended new NHM Mission Statement being:” In the National History Museum, we aim to foster understanding and appreciation of the history of Albania diachronically, and of the role of Albania in world history, to local, national and international audiences. We encourage dialogue with and among all Albanian citizens on the past, present and future of the country. To this purpose, we acquire, conserve and research tangible and intangible evidence of the historical and cultural heritage of Albania, which we communicate and exhibit by stimulating education and entertainment. We take active part in national and international cultural networks and we organize activities which promote our vision and mission”.

V. UPDATE ON THE NHM STRUCTURAL/TECHNICAL ASSESSMENTS

Mr. Norimasa Shimomura, briefed on the work started off by UNDP in line with the NHM AB recommendations during its working session in Sept.2009, namely the asbestos assessment and the seismic/structural evaluation of the NHM building. These two assessments are currently on-going; however, some preliminary findings could be made available to the AB as follows.

Asbestos Assessment:Representatives of “Arundelle”, a British company contracted by UNDP on the asbestos situation, confirmed the presence of asbestos in the NHM building, like in most of the buildings in the world. The extent of the problem is not clear yet. Surveys/analysis of samples is currently being undertaken. They assured that there is nothing to panic about, if managed correctly. One of the most important findings so far is that there is no asbestos in the primary structure of the building, but rather in its secondary structure. It may also be decided, depending on final findings, that the material should stay in the building if it is not going to be disturbed or if it is inaccessible. Anyway, the present information is not conclusive. There is asbestos in the second floor installations: mechanical, electric, fire and acoustic installations. There is proof of airborne asbestos in the storeroom which is already a contaminated area. The Arundelle representatives made it clear that the problem is not with the presence of the asbestos in the NHM, it is rather the awareness of the people working there. Asbestos management should be structured in a phased approach and planned to go as far as reasonably practicable.Shortly, Arundelle will provide UNDP with a detailed survey that identifies asbestos in the NHM building, a set of optional solutions for the removal/encapsulation of the asbestos-containing material, their respective financial costs, and a set of priority recommendations on the overall asbestos management at the NHM.

Seismic Assessment:DIWI Consult International, the company contracted by UNDP on the NHM building seismic assessment is conducting the following tasks:

• Evaluation of structural capacity of the existing museum to sustain loads in accordance with current norms and standards;

• Evaluation of structural capacity of the existing museum to resist seismic loading;

• Design of necessary strengthening measures to fulfil requirements of the previous evaluations and recommendations for improvements along with detailed Bills of Quantities.

The preliminary investigations show that:• No evaluation of seismic forces was

undertaken in the original design• For compliance with Euro code


requirements it is highly likely that structural improvements to the foundations will be required

• The existing space between blocks is insufficient for seismic effects (should be ≈ 40cm not 5cm as built)

• Euro code 8 does not allow the use of plain steel reinforcing bars, which is all that was available at time of construction.

• All cracks do not seem to be structural.

DIWI will shortly provide UNDP with recommendations for improvements to the existing building services.

The results of these evaluations with allow UNDP to progress on the development of a design concept. This approach creates the necessary condition for a thorough cost estimate that would take into account the asbestos/seismic/structural evaluations and other related costs.

VI. BRIEFING ON THE MEETING OF THE ALBANIAN HISTORIANS

Mr. Malltezi informed the members of the NHM Advisory Board on the meeting organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports with a group of Albanian historians.

The concept of all the historians/researchers was that NHM was originally conceived to be a national history museum and should remain like that. This was the first time that the opinion of the history experts is being taken into account. All the experts should provide their opinions on the future of the museum and how we want to display our history. History is such a sensitive issue to Albanians unlike many other nations. Making history an issue of the historians and keeping the politicians away from history is a great service rendered to the Albanian history. Open forum of historians would also be a good basis for the NHM exhibition concept.

Since there are a number of interventions already made in NHM, there was a general agreement on the three NHM pavilions: ethnography, archaeology, icons and history. The head of ethnography claims that the ethnography pavilion is built not within the standards they requested while a big budget has already been spent on it. There is a great need for expertise in the field of presentation.

He confirmed the support of the MoTCYS and the community of historians to NHM and its staff and concluded that the recommendations of the NHM AB will be the basis of the work of NHM in the future.

Recommendation:

At the start of 2010, a (series of) symposium/forum on Albanian history should be organized with the participation of the well-known Albanian and international historians.

DAY II

VII. RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE REVISED OVERALL CONCEPT FOR NHM

The UNESCO local consultant made a presentation of the revised overall concept for NHM prepared by the UNESCO international consultant, Mrs. Katerina Nikolaidou following the NHM AB recommendations during its working session in Sept. 2009. The recommendations were as follows:

• Establish museum networks at national and international level (local, regional, national & international; administrative, vertical and horizontal linkages)

• Categorization of the collections (by their dating and /or material)

• Education, entertainment and visitor experience: targeting the adult and young visitors providing them with entertainment facilities in the museum (café, shops) and educative programs and workshops, educative material / “museum kits” traveling from one school to the other etc.

• Communication with the public: via the museum’s efforts to enhance its institutional public outreach by applying methods such as public relations and marketing and via the museum’s exhibitions, where messages are conveyed, through the particular sign systems it includes, from the exhibition’s creators towards the visitors.

• A new thematic concept for the exhibition, its communicative potential and future steps required: The interpretation of history and archaeology should not be separated; balance the space attributed

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to the interpretation of each historical period, avoiding to over-emphasize archaeology/ the ancient period; the existing artifacts of the NHM collections are sufficient for restructuring the permanent exhibition; The plans for refurbishment should include the whole permanent exhibition; The use of new technologies could greatly enhance the interpretative, educational and recreational potential of the exhibition; Interdisciplinary collaboration (curators, historians, exhibition concept/design specialists) in establishing the permanent exhibition concept and developing final plans; public feedback as to what would the public like to see in the refurbished exhibition.

• Suggestion on exhibit topics to be presented: a. Introduction (timeline, geography, history of building, exhibition plan); b. History before history (prehistory: Stone, Bronze, Iron Ages); c. Illyrian kingdoms and cities in Classical, Hellenistic and Roman times; d. Albania in the Middle Ages (ecclesiastic power struggles of historical importance/effect/ the castle cities/ the Albanian principalities); e. Ottoman Albania; f. A national state emerging in times of war (League of Prizren- World War II); g. Terror and isolation (aspects of communist rule and leadership, communist propaganda, negative impact of international isolation to the economic and social life); I. Albania today (democratic reform, international integration etc.)

• Financial and fund-raising concepts: Develop, maintain and regularly update a database of contacts for the current and potential donors; Identify opportunities for sponsorship; Prepare “sponsor dossiers”; follow-up activities; Organise fund-raising events; Promote and facilitate the organization of other corporate and institutional events in the premises designated for rental etc.

Mr. Ruoss pointed out to such important issues as the educational dimension of NHM, Communication with the public; the joint forum to be organized next year to discuss on the content and recommended that quality assessment should be integrated into

the new NHM concept. Upon the invitation of Mr. Ruoss, the NHM AB members shared their opinions on various NHM issues raised and discussed. All the NHM AB members expressed the need to move on quickly to keep up with the pace of the developments in the country. Starting with the reorganization of the entrance hall where several visitors’ facilities can be housed was a common agreement among the members. Putting together a comprehensive plan of the overall activities and costs (split up in several implementation phases) was considered as urgent and important. The identification of the expertise in various specific areas is also an imperative for the implementation phase.

Several stakeholders raised the concern that the establishment of the new proposed structures in NHM Governance and Management should go in parallel with the works in the NHM infrastructure and content. To this end, identification of the specific needs within the internal staff for the everyday running of the NHM and the detailed approaches/means to build and upgrade the required capacities and skills should be integrated into a Capacity Development Plan. The plan should consider that the NHM staff be provided with the opportunities of being exposed to both national and international best practices in the area museum running and management.

A communication plan with the public and with the visitors is deemed essential. Further to the proposals of the NHM international consultant, an objects’ interpretation plan should be elaborated (exhibition plan). The NHM AB members visited the NHM premises/pavilions and witnessed that there are some very interesting objects in the NHM, but there is a lack of story–telling. Very interesting educational projects can be developed with the existing fund in the NHM.

Mr. Ruoss read through the below recommendations drafted at the end of the third NHM AB meeting. He also reiterated the appreciation and praise of the AB members to the consultants for all of their good work on the various documents they have prepared and presented to the board.

The Advisory Board in its session of 24/25 November 2009 recommends to:

1. Adjust the legal framework to international conventions and new laws adopted by Albania (Chapter I-IV)

2. Increase the flexibility of financing of


Public Museums (Art 19) and delegate the authority of reusing the revenues of the Museums (Art.20) for the latter to create incentives/means to enter into co-funding activities for the public Museums. NHM AB will elaborate a list of detailed proposals in cooperation with the MoTCYS.

3. Adjust the decision No 775 to the new philosophy of museums and include experts in the field of museum to sit in the Scientific Committee of Museums.

4. Elaborate a new statute for the NHM based on the Governance and Management report.

5. Adopt a new strategy for the National Museum focused on visitors’ interest and promoting the history by enhancing the staff competences in the field of communication and Development, Collections, Exhibitions and Education as well as establishing a modern administration (HR, Finance, and Maintenance) and visitors’ facilities as indicated in the Governance and Management Report.

6. Adopt the Mission Statement endorsed by the AB (reduce the political and personal influences on the Museum Strategy.

7. Redefine the role of the Director and delegate the authority related to strategic planning, setting goals and define activities to fulfill the museums’ mission, managing and monitoring the implementation of the activities.

8. Create new posts of Deputy Director, Head of Collections, Head of Exhibitions, and Head of Education which support the fulfillment of the mission.

9. Adopt an organizational chart as elaborated in the report on Governance and Management in a mid-term perspective.

10. Establish a roadmap for the transformation of the existing organizational chart into the new chart as described in the Governance & Management report. AB will support the change (management) process. Elaborate a capacity Building concept in order to train staff with a focus on the future tasks. AB and the JP Team will adjust the work plans.

11. Establish advisory boards to support the Director in accomplishing his tasks. The Scientific Advisory Board with policy related and strategic planning tasks, and the Executive Board supporting the implementation of the Strategy through work plans. ToR for the board are elaborated in the Governance & Management Report. The Ministry may also consider combining the two bodies into one.

12. Focus the staff chart to core functions of the Museum and identify the services to be outsourced (security, café, souvenirs shop cleaning, gardening).

13. Elaborate a roadmap in order to adjust the infrastructure based on the risk assessment elaborated by the experts invited by UNDP (water supply, fire emergency etc.)

14. Elaborate an action plan with the aim of best managing the asbestos present in the NHM building.

15. Elaborate a roadmap in order to adjust the infrastructure based on the risk assessment elaborated by the experts invited by UNDP, taking into account the priority needs to renovate the Museum entrance hall as well as other urgent measures such as water supply and fire emergency systems.

16. Elaborate an action plan with the aim of best managing the asbestos present in the NHM building.

17. Further elaborate work plans related to the main fields identified in the concept framework such as Museums networks, Collections, Education, Communication, exhibition concept, financing and fundraising (to be included in the work plans).

18. Establish local and regional networks for cooperation, public promotion as well as exchange of expertise and exhibitions.

19. Define a collection concept based on dating (historic periods) and material separated by categories: Prehistory, Middle-age, Ethnography and Modern.

20. Elaborate a concept for education and entertainment to assure for a high quality visitor’s experience.

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21. Elaborate a communication concept within the museum as well as a public relation strategy. Establish an annual communication plan.

22. Establish a financial and fundraising concept including sponsoring events for museum (donations, contributions etc.)

23. Establish quality assessment plan in the NHM concept.

VIII. CLOSING REMARKS

H.E. Ferdinand Xhaferri, Minister of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports thanked the NHM AB members and the other participants for the contribution rendered during the two days meeting. He expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Spain and the United Nations Implementing Agencies: UNESCO and UNDP for the professional implementation of the activities and the close collaboration with the national authorities. Aware of the vast range of the interventions needed in the NHM to bring it up to the international standards and the MDG-F UN JP financial and time constraints, he reiterated the commitment of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports in the carrying through of the implementation processes. He assured the NHM AB members and the other

stakeholders that the community of historians and professionals will be mobilized to render their contribution in such an important undertaking.

H.E. Manuel Montobbio, Ambassador of Kingdom of Spain, was appreciative of the project implementation so far, considering it as a good starting point. He cautioned the stakeholders to be watchful on the steps forward. He also asked for the government to allocate the necessary funding from the state budget to enable the continuation of the activities in the NHM beyond the MDG-F UN JP life.

Mrs. Gulden Turkoz-Cosslett, UNRC, extended her appreciation for the fruitful contributions rendered by the honorable members of the NHM AB, to the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports for his institutional support and commitment and to all the NHM stakeholders for the serious efforts dedicated to converting NHM into a world-class museum. She asked the MDG-F UN JP Team to put together the 3rd NHM AB meeting recommendations and minutes and circulate them among the stakeholders.

The upcoming NHM AB meeting was tentatively planned to convene in late January – early February 2010.


Ad-hoc Conclusions and Recommendations based on the Asbestos and Seismic/Structural assessments, February 2010

Ad-hoc Conclusions and Recommendations based on the Asbestos and Seismic/Structural assessments

Via Email, February 2010

After reviewing the information presented to it from the Asbestos and Seismic/Structural assessments, the Advisory Board to the National History Museum has:

• Taken note of the previous meetings minutes and action points with regards to moving the decision processes forward quickly;

• Noted that in its third working session on 24-25 November 2009, the Advisory Board has discussed the desktop study on asbestos in the museum by the consulting firm “Arundelle” and focused on the main issues of how to obtain a clear picture of the extent of the asbestos situation and the necessary steps to remove it, bearing in mind the limited budget of this project activity;

• Taken note of the recommendations and comments made by the professional company Arundelle on the asbestos situation in the NHM;

• Noted that the company Arundelle has recommended nine areas for intervention to remove asbestos in the NHM, of which six of these areas are noted as priority to ensure that staff and visitors are not affected after any potential disturbance of these areas;

• Also noted that the company Arundelle has concluded that interventions to these nine areas can be done in phases;

• Further noted that the company Arundelle has recommended that as long as the areas noted to have asbestos remain undisturbed, that physical works to the building may commence in these other areas;

• Taken note of the recommendations and comments made by the professional company DIWI Consult International

Albania sh.p.k. on the structural and seismic situation in the NHM;

• Noted that the company DIWI Consult International Albania sh.p.k has concluded that extensive structural strengthening measures are required to ensure the capacity of the building to withstand the effects of seismic action, and also that the current NHM building requires considerable investment and rehabilitation works to be renovated to meet international norms and standards;

• Noted that the company DIWI Consult International Albania sh.p.k has concluded that the necessary interventions can be worked into a phased programme to offset the investment costs over a period of time;

• Further noted that the company DIWI Consult International Albania sh.p.k has strongly recommended that priority be given to essential safety measures related to the provision of fire detection and escape and protection facilities, which are currently not in place at the museum;

• Recommended that the final versions of these reports are translated into Albanian for complete transparency and sharing with the Government of Albania and other interested stakeholders;

• Recommended that bearing in mind the conclusions and recommendations of the two companies specified above, the Government of Albania should give highest priority to the removal of asbestos in the six priority areas and to the fire

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detection and escape and protection facilities in the museum;

• Recommended that while the CHSED Joint Programme was designed to improve visitor experience, some finances should be devoted to assisting the Government of Albania with the above priorities;

• Stressed the importance of the above priorities being a cost-sharing activity with the Government of Albania;

• Recommended that as most of the activities recommended by the two companies can be done in phases, that the CHSED Joint Programme work with the Government of Albania to develop a work plan that reflects this;

• Noted that in its meeting of 24-25 November 2009, it had recommended that the Entrance Hall be prioritized for physical works that improve the visitor experience as this will create new opportunities for revenue generation, allow for a flexible and dynamic use of the space during reconstruction efforts, and engage the general public more effectively than work in other areas of the museum;

• Recommended that as it remains unaffected by either the asbestos, structural or seismic situations, the entrance hall still remain a priority of the CHSED Joint Programme for physical works;

• Recognizes that the final decision on how to proceed with the physical works under this programme remains with the Government of Albania;

• Requested the CHSED Joint Programme to develop a work plan summarizing all of the works and activities they intend to undertake in the Museum for the Advisory Board’s endorsement;

• Recommended that this work plan be shared with the Advisory Board members;

• Acknowledged the hard work and dedication by all members of the Advisory Board, the museum, government bodies, MDG-F project team and consultants to see this project activity through to success;

• Remains available for consultation on all matters related to the NHM throughout the end of its 18-month term (ending January 2011), as indicated in its statutes

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The transformation of the national history museum in albania