A retrospective on the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage

November 8th to 12th, 2011, marked the first targeted gathering of people involved in researching, managing, and developing underwater cultural heritage (UCH) in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage (APCONF) has been convened every three years, providing a unique opportunity to bring together members of government agencies, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), museums, the private sector, and the wider community. Participants from over 35 countries have attended the conference, making it a truly international endeavour. The APCONF was created in part to promote awareness of UCH on a wider scale. As such, one of the primary directives of the inaugural conference was to ensure that all papers presented would be recorded in full in the official conference proceedings, so as to establish an ongoing archive of the critical work being done in this region. This article will examine the wider benefits of creating this regional network through the APCONF, arguing that it provides an important venue for face-to-face networking that can lead to additional collaborations, and contributes to the understanding of how the conference may evolve in the future. The fact that the APCONF is not tied to a specific membership base provides not only unusual flexibility but also financial and infrastructural unsurety. The conference is organised by a group of dedicated volunteers and funded almost entirely by donations. As we stop to consider the first decade of the APCONF’s achievements, we also need to determine the best ways to ensure its sustainable future success.

Editorial Note

The introduction to the final issue of IAPSS Politikon in 2020 highlights that while the COVID-19 pandemic may be the first reference point for a ‘contemporary challenge’, climate change has anything but disappeared in this extraordinary year. The present issue addresses this phenomenon via a special section on 'Paths to Climate Justice', that is introduced in the Note by Alix Gabaude (Panels Coordinator for the IAPSS Europe Regional Conference 2019). The special section is accompanied by a research note discussing consociational institutions in Northern Ireland and Lebanon.

ON THE PREPARATION OF FOREIGN STUDENTS FOR STUDENT LOCAL READINGS "THE NATIVE LAND, FOREVER FAVORITE..."

Student scientific and practical conferences are an important component of enhancing students' independent and cognitive activities. The article discusses the features of individual work with foreign students in the preparation of an oral public message and its presentation at a regional conference. It is noted that the participation of foreign students in scientific and practical conferences increases interest in the study of the Russian language, contributes to.