The indigenous architecture, in particular, the traditional meeting house in the Pacific, has been the centre of village governance. The construction of this architecture requires a broad range of traditional knowledge and skills and also the support of communities. The traditional meeting house in the Pacific that used to be built without nails demonstrates the environmentally sustainable lifestyles of the Pacific people. The indigenous architecture in the Pacific, however, is disappearing rapidly due to several reasons including the changing life styles and the lack of raw materials necessary for their construction.

The Workshop participants addressed the challenges facing the indigenous architecture and its building skills in the Pacific through presentations, discussions and field visits.  Samoan master builders constructed a demonstration meeting house during the Workshop, which enabled the participants to observe the process and interact with the master builders.

The Report (available through UNESDOC) contains a summary of the Workshop proceedings and compiles the presentations by the Pacific and international experts in this area. The Outcome Statement included in the Report presents a number of important agreed actions and recommendations in order to revitalize this significant intangible cultural heritage in the Pacific for the well-being of communities and the sustainable development in the region.