UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova to Open Cultural Heritage Preservation Conference at Bocconi

The destruction of cultural heritage is increasingly becoming an intentional and unintentional side effect of war, shown by the tragic ruin of Palmyra. In 2016, Universities worldwide joined forces in defense of cultural heritage at the UN Global Colloquium of University Presidents, "recognizing that cultural diversity, like biodiversity, plays a quantifiable and crucial part in the health of the human species and understanding that the destruction of cultural heritage is inseparable from the persecution of people and therefore a humanitarian imperative," and established the Global Consortium for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (GCPCH).

Through the New Haven Declaration, GCPCH committed to fostering the transfer of knowledge, training curricula, research and advocacy among academic institutions worldwide to address the issues presented by the growing destruction of cultural heritage by war, mismanagement, or environmental factors.

With its Fall Meeting (Bocconi University, Milan, 25-26 September 2017), GCPCH enters its operative phase, with the blessing of UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, who will deliver the opening address (25 September, 2pm). The Consortium meeting will concentrate discussion on enabling a closer collaboration in support of sustainable and community-oriented conservation practices, particularly in the aftermath of war and natural catastrophes.

Signatories to the New Haven Declaration are already engaging in collaboration designed to make a transformative contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage through broad educational programs, major research initiatives, and effective advocacy. At their meeting at Bocconi University, members of the GCPCH will identify specific areas of action and operational initiatives.

Representatives of 21 international universities and institutions at world level will take part in an open debate, with interventions, among others, from Jane Thompson (Herculaneum Conservation Project), Markus Hilgert (Near Asian Art Museum, Berlin), Francesca Recchia (Independent researcher, Kabul), Stefano De Caro (Director of ICCROM), as well as Stefano Baia Curioni (Bocconi University) and Stefan Simon (Yale University).