This has indeed been a memorable conference. We have traversed the globe it seems, several times, visiting every continent. We have reached back to the beginnings of human history, and stretched forward as far as our imagination will take us. We have talked of many forms of documentary heritage, from the music of early China, some of it conveyed to present times by oral tradition, to newspapers in early 19th century Latin America from Arabic calligraphy, miraculously preserved in Yemen, to moving pictures recording the birth of the Australian nation; from the first printed books to the digitised data that mark the early decades of a new revolution in communications.

What did we get out of it? Every one of us obviously drew different things. I can only tell you what I will take with me from the conference and invite you to compare this with your own perception. I will take with me a recognition that, in the words of Mr Drenth, 'Those responsible for the preservation of collections are standing at the cross-roads of the times.' Other people used different metaphors to convey the same meaning. At those cross-roads I see a series of challenges and opportunities, each of which carries with it sometimes profound problems. I could say, 'I see at the cross-roads problems, each attended by challenges - but that would not be in keeping with the spirit of the conference, or my recollection of it.

Let me tell you just a few of the challenges that I will take with me. The ultimate challenge, the challenge of what the Minister in opening the conference called 'an extraordinarily ambitious project', is to preserve for posterity the collective memory of the peoples of the world. This is a vision, and yet it's an elusive vision. The vision must be accompanied by a strong sense of pragmatism, because we have been confronted through the conference and particularly during this last session with some brutal realities. I was moved by Mr Mabhikwa's comment in his paper, 'What good is preservation when there's nothing to preserve?' The past for many countries is not so much preserving documentary heritage but preserving the vestiges of culture. There is obviously a vast gulf in the perceptions of various people and various countries and that gulf is so hard to bridge.

I'll take with me a strong sense of the commitment to cooperation in this conference and an understanding that cooperation is essential, notwithstanding large impediments, including of national and professional rivalries. There can be no room for these. As the Minister again said in her opening speech, 'There is perhaps a tendency towards over-specialisation.' I can say that with safety, as I am neither an archivist nor librarian, but a historian. Many other professions, of course, are also involved in this process.

The challenge of communication is vast and that means, to use the old but very apt cliche, 'we must not reinvent the wheel'. We must all know what is happening in other parts of the world.

There is a challenge of collective responsibility. It's a vast challenge. I invite you to consider that if this group does not take responsibility for this massive task, what will happen? What are the alternatives? On the one hand chaos, on the other control falling into hands that might not be benign. People besides us are well aware that knowledge is power and if a group such of this doesn't take the initiatives in preservation, I fear who will.

There are many other more specific challenges. The challenge of standardisation: and yet we must set this against the need for flexibility, because it's all very well to come up with a series of standards which really have no applicability whatsoever in some parts of the world. In other words, we cannot be too prescriptive. There's the challenge of providing extended access to documentary heritage. Against that there are the justifiable concerns about privacy, there are copyright restrictions and there are legal constraints that differ from country to country.

The challenge of digitisation of course has taken up a great part of this conference. I learnt a great deal that I'll take with me about the limits at the moment to digitisation, about how much is still to be done and about the vast costs involved. Digitisation obviously does not provide all the answers in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, there's so much there to strive for. As a historian, I see one of the greatest challenges as being that of selection. As librarians and archivists, many of you are involved in mediating the Memory of the World to the future. It is possible to recreate the past, and that is a formidable responsibility.

What has held the conference together? There is, I think, a profound commitment to an idea, a commitment to a vision that something can be done. The Norwegians have taken the lead and their sense of commitment is obviously profound. And there is a determination that something can be done. As I was talking to Virginia Betancourt immediately before coming into this session she said in passing, 'When I started at the National Library of Venezuela many years ago,' (she didn't in fact say many years ago, so already I'm tampering with oral evidence - but I know it was many years ago) 'I could never have believed we could have accomplished so much.' That sense of determination has obviously yielded great rewards in her part of the world. What about action, what is to be done, what is the way ahead? We have the Memory of the World guidelines, we have the opportunity to establish committees, to establish National and Regional Registers as well as the World Register. We have examples of cooperation which are an inspiration. NORDINFO is something which could perhaps only be achieved in the Nordic countries which have such close relations among one another. We have the Latin American example, and examples of inspiring projects from within the European Commission and the United States. Then, as part of an action plan, there is the opportunity for communication among ourselves in various ways, through the identification of collections which is already being conducted by IFLA, through the Memory of the World Web site, which will gradually increase in data, through other conferences, through regional groupings, through the Internet and even through the mail. And then of course there is communication with the outside world.

And that is the purpose of the sheet of paper that you have in front of you headed 'First International Memory of the World Conference'. It is a draft, and let us be clear about what this is intended to do. It is a statement from this conference. It is not a series of resolutions; it is not so much a series of recommendations as a proclamation which can be disseminated as widely as possible and used as a means for promoting the Memory of the World objectives.

THE CONFERENCE PROCEEDED TO CONSIDER AND VOTE IN FAVOUR OF THE PROCLAMATION THAT IS REPRODUCED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS VOLUME.

I will end this as I started by telling you a little story. I will be quick because time is flying. It is about this Pharaoh who lived in Egypt 3-4000 years ago. He liked cherries. He loved cherries for breakfast but he couldn't get them in the winter in Egypt. So where did he get them from? He got them from Lebanon. Every day they would send the cherries with, would you believe it, carrier pigeons and each pigeon would have on each of the legs a little basket with one cherry in each basket, for the Pharaoh to enjoy at his breakfast. Think about that.

Anyway, so many of the speakers have said so many good words about all the human beings involved in making this conference happen. I won't repeat the list. I've been listening and I think all have had their due thanks. I should add though, that NORAD, SIDA and DANIDA, agencies working particularly for developing countries from the North, have contributed considerably and also made it possible for us to bring in colleagues from different parts of the world. In addition to NORDINFO, I should like to mention my colleagues from the National Libraries and the National Archives in the Nordic countries who have contributed very much to this conference. And I couldn't really leave you here without saying a big thank you to Ingunn and all the other good people in the National Commission of UNESCO. I should also add the good people in my own institution, the National Library. But most of all, I think, I have been impressed and encouraged by the fact that all of you have come here from far away places, you have given your time, you have given your considerations to this very important programme. And for this, my very sincere thanks. It has been three very, very stimulating days.

That's why I will end my presentation here and end the conference by getting back over this time span that we have been witnessing. The exhibition from the Schøyen collection takes us back to the land between the rivers, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, 5000 years ago, the Pharaohs and the Library in Alexandria. And, if you look down now, on your feet, you will see a small virtual basket on each of your ankles, and in those baskets will be the ideas, the good food for thought about this programme that we have now decided to carry forward. You will leave Oslo as carrier pigeons with these virtual baskets filled with thoughts about the Memory of the World Programme. And I do hope that you will take it back to where you are going and you will spread the gospel there.

I now end by saying that when you enter the aeroplane and you hear the voice saying 'It's been a pleasure having you with us, and we look forward to seeing you again', you will remember that this is how we feel here in Norway. Thank you very much.