UNESCO and European institutions will hold an online forum next week to address the challenges of protecting cultural heritage and the role of multilateralism in that goal, according to the world organization.
In a statement, UNESCO set out that the event coordinated with the German government, the European Commission and the Council of Europe will take place from November 16 to 18, framed in the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the measures to be adopted to prohibit and prevent illicit property transfer of cultural assets as well as imports and exports.
Contemporary challenges in the field of cultural heritage, such as armed conflicts, the impact of climate change, natural disasters and the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural assets, compromise our common humanity,’ underscored UNESCO’s Director General Audrey Azoulay.
According to Azoulay, in the face of the threat, responses cannot be limited to territorial borders, international cooperation and solidarity among all agents are urgent from States to civil society.
The director general will open the forum on Monday along with authorities from Germany, the European Union and the United Nations.
