The Conference will bring together governmental experts and policymakers as well as representatives of various international organisations, academic experts, civil society groups, and local, national and regional stakeholders with the aim, through case-based presentations and fruitful exchanges, to improve international cooperation and thus provide an ever-growing level of protection to the world’s cultural heritage.
The aims of the Conference are:
The working languages will be English and Latvian with simultaneous interpretation provided by the Latvian authorities.
The current situation in Ukraine, where cultural heritage has been deliberately targeted and looted artefacts may be illegally exported, unfortunately, brings a renewed interest in protecting cultural heritage from damage and/or destruction. That situation highlights the relevance of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Offences related to Cultural Property, known as the Nicosia Convention, in the responses to the offenses relating to cultural property in conflict and post-conflict situations.
As a criminal-law treaty, the Nicosia Convention is the only legally binding instrument aimed at preventing and combating such crimes by strengthening criminal justice responses and, at the same time, fostering international cooperation. Opened for signature in 2017, the Nicosia Convention entered into force on 1 April 2022 and counts today with six Parties and another seven are signatories. The Nicosia Convention is a development of the regulations adopted in the European Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property, drawn up in Delphi on June 23, 1985, which, however, has not entered into force.
We encourage you to participate.