Press Releases

The Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the United Nations, in cooperation with the Permanent Representation of Italy to the United Nations, have created the Friends of Heritage Protection Group, which is an important step towards the implementation of the international legal framework.

The protection of cultural heritage is a high foreign policy priority of the two countries and its main goal is to raise awareness of the need to protect cultural heritage, to fight the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, and to prevent and combat all forms of trafficking in cultural property and related illegal activities; to share best practices and promote their internationalization; and strengthen connections among different legal sources.

In this context, the first meeting of the Group for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage was hosted on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the United Nations, and was co-chaired by the Permanent Representative of Italy, Ambassador Mr Sebastiano Cardi and the Permanent Representative of Cyprus, Ambassador Mr Kornelios Korneliou.

In his speech, Ambassador Korneliou thanked the Permanent Mission of Italy for hosting the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends, and extended his deep appreciation to Italy and to Ambassador Cardi personally, for supporting the establishment of this Group of Friends. Ambassador Korneliou emphasized  the protection of cultural heritage is a common goal, shared by all member states present at the meeting and praised France and Italy for their exceptional work in this area, notably with the adoption of the Security Council resolution 2347 in 2017.

He reminded the participants that in May 2017, during Cyprus Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the “Convention on Offenses relating to Cultural Property” was signed in Lefkosia. This Convention is the only international treaty dealing with the criminalization of illicit trafficking of cultural goods. Furthermore, in March 2018, a resolution on Cultural Rights and the Protection of Cultural Heritage, initiated by Cyprus, was unanimously adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“The idea of establishing a Group of Friends for the protection of cultural heritage was born here in New York, aspiring that this platform could revitalize international interest, by raising awareness and encouraging implementation of the existing legal framework as well as by sharing best practices and strengthening synergies,” he said.

He also mentioned that the intention at this stage is to navigate the work of the Group towards two main priorities: the Completion of national inventories and comprehensive recording of all types of cultural heritage and the intensification of the digitization of cultural property, both moveable and immovable. 

In conclusion, Mr Korneliou reiterated the non-political character our Group and emphasized that what brings the members together is the shared belief the cultural heritage is the bedrock of the human civilization and the need to protect it.

The meeting was attended, among others, representatives of Armenia, Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Egypt, France, German, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, India, Colombia, Georgia, Qatar, Iraq, Russia, and representatives of UNESCO and Interpol.

(ML)