A conference to promote the Council of Europe convention on Offences related to cultural property within governments and civil society will take place in Nicosia from October 24-26 .
The International Conference entitled “Act for Heritage! Promoting the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property within Governments and Civil Society” is part of the Council of Europe’s 70th anniversary celebrations, and is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Commissioner for Volunteerism and Non-Governmental Organizations and the CoE. It aims to promote the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property within Governments and Civil Society.
The opening ceremony will take place tonight (24/10) at the Presidential Palace, under the auspices of President Nicos Anastasiades, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The conference will open Friday morning with welcoming addresses by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicos Christodoulides and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni.
Stolen cultural artefacts, illicit trafficking aggravated by natural disasters & armed conflicts pose a serious risk to cultural property & our collective memory.@coe #ActforHeritage in Nicosia, 24-25/10
w/@CyprusMFA @Cyprus_CoE @UNESCO @INTERPOL_TIGC
https://t.co/qk63lqCFhR pic.twitter.com/mHgPM4wmZD— Council of Europe Directorate-General Democracy (@CoEDemocracy) October 24, 2019
The conference will be attended by officials of international organizations including the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization Dr. Kunio Mikuriya. It will bring together more than 120 delegates from more than 40 countries, the EU, international organizations such as UNESCO and the OSCE, non-governmental organizations, academia and professional associations.
Participants will discuss, inter alia, effective ways to promote the universality of the Nicosia Convention and will consider possible synergies with other conventions under international law. They will also exchange views on the role of civil society, businesses and government authorities in combating cultural property offences, as well as ways to raise public awareness through the media and education.
The Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property, also known as the “Nicosia Convention”, was adopted during the Cyprus Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in 2017. It has so far been ratified by the Republic of Cyprus and Mexico and has been signed by 10 other States. The Convention aims at preventing the destruction of cultural heritage and combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property and, the criminalization of related offencses, which are areas of particular concern for Cyprus.
(Cyprus News Agency)
