Cultural Heritage at Stake: Addressing Looting…

High-Level Week Side Event hosted by the Permanent Missions of Greece and Italy, in cooperation with EPLO.

Armed conflicts, the deliberate destruction of cultural sites, looting, and the illicit trafficking of cultural property have proved to be recurrent threats to cultural heritage protection over time. Far from being isolated phenomena, these activities cause irreparable damage to the historical memory and cultural identity of nations and communities, while simultaneously fueling transnational organized crime and, in situations of conflict and political instability, contributing to the financing of armed and terrorist groups. As such, the protection of cultural heritage becomes a matter that extends well beyond the cultural sector, encompassing international relations and security, as well as the rule of law.

Addressing these interconnected threats therefore requires a coordinated international response capable of combining legal, operational and diplomatic efforts.

WELCOME ADDRESS:

H.E. MS. ALEXANDRA PAPADOPOULOU, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Greece

H.E. MR. EDMONDO CIRIELLI, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs & International
Cooperation, Italy

ADDRESS:

MS. ARUNA FRANCESCA MARIA GUJRAL, Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

H.E. DR. LINA MENDONI, Minister of Culture of Greece