The first year of Commission 9 under its new Chairmanship has included a number of new actions to expand the outreach to valuers and appraisers both within FIG member organizations and with professional bodies that are not represented in FIG.

The immediate focus is on invitations to eastern European valuers to join Commission 9's workshop and informal meeting at the Prague conference in May, the latter inviting valuers and appraisers from the Czech Republic and Slovak organizations. The Czech Republic will have a second member in FIG, the "Czech Association of Certified Property Appraisers". Commission 9’s Educational Program has extended a welcome to the President of this organization, Ing Zbytnek Smejkal who will speak on the "Evaluation of Property in the Czech Republic and Valuers Certification".

The scheduled speakers for the Commission 9 sponsored Session include valuers from England, Czech Republic, Norway, and the United States.

Commission 9 has been asked to participate in other Symposiums during 2000. The Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina has asked for speakers at their International Symposium.

Commission 9 has been invited to participate in another International Symposium in Sophia, Bulgaria. Commission 9 will also participate in the Pan Pacific Congress in New Zealand later this year. Members of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors are being asked to present papers.

Following the Prague meeting, Commission 9's Chairman will meet with representatives of FIABCI in London during the the 51^st FIABCI World Congress.

On a person to person level, Commission 9 has established correspondence with more than 15 individual valuers and land economists from as diverse locations as Turkey, Argentina, Korea, Israel and Egypt. These efforts to have direct contact with practitioners in the valuation fields is part of Commission 9's most ambitious work plan for this administration to advance FIG and Commission 9 as a major resource for valuers worldwide.

It has long been an unfortunate fact that the majority of FIG member organizations do not have valuers in their professional memberships and it has been extremely difficult to create much activity within the FIG family of organizations in the activities and tasks of Commission 9. The efforts to include new valuation based organizations in the FIG family has its first success in the Czech Republic. Invitations are extended to all property valuation organizations and societies throughout the world to contact Commission 9.

Working Group 9:1 Developing Education and Training Curriculum for Valuers and Appraisers in Emerging or Developing Countries. A full report on this working group will be presented at the Commission 9 meeting in Prague.

Working Group 9.2 Environmental and Ecological Influences Effecting Use, Value, and Demand for Real Estate. This group has met on two occasions within the United States and continues to develop a needed database regarding atmospheric and subsurface contamination issues. A full report will be presented at the Commission 9 meeting in Prague.