The Forum on the “Protection and Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean” is organized on 22 and 23 November in Limassol by the Sovereign Order of Malta, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNESCO and the European Commission, on the occasion of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The opening of the Forum will be addressed by the Minister of Finance of Cyprus, Mr Vassos Shiarly, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Demetris Christofias, as well as by the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Mr Jean-Pierre Mazery, the Archbishop of Chrysostomos II, and representatives of UNESCO and the European Commission.
On the evening of the 22nd November Mr Shiarly on behalf of the President of the Republic, will host a gala dinner in honour of the participants to the Forum.
Participants at the Forum will include representatives from the European Commission, the Holy See, the Republic of Italy, the Church of Cyprus, the Russian Orthodox Church, UNESCO, the Republic of Cyprus and the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well as academics from some of Europe’s leading universities and academic institutions.
The main focus of the Forum will be on the impact of natural catastrophes and conflicts on cultural heritage, the new perspectives for cultural heritage in light of the Arab Spring, the specific issues of sacred heritage and the responsibility of major institutional players for conservation of the cultural heritage within the context of the economic crisis.
The closing ceremony of the Forum will be addressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, and the Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta, Mr Jean-Pierre Mazery.