Deputy Minister of State for Culture Mr.Yannis Toumazis participated in the second Conference of European Ministers of Culture for the Davos Alliance, which took place, at the invitation of the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr.Alain Berset, from 14 to 16 January 2023, in Davos, Switzerland. During the Conference, the Davos Baukultur Alliance was launched, which will be chaired for five years by Switzerland and whose secretariat will operate within the World Economic Forum.
Ministers of Culture from 31 European countries, together with civil society organisations and major companies from the construction and real estate sectors, gathered in Davos to launch the Davos Baukultur Alliance, a network for dialogue between all parties at international level.
The Alliance proposes to address the global challenges of design and construction. It aims at sustainable and quality-oriented management of buildings, infrastructure, public spaces and landscapes for the benefit of all. The Alliance pursues the objectives set out in the Davos Declaration "Towards a high-quality Baukultur for Europe", adopted in 2018, and is based on the criteria set out in the Davos Baukultur Quality System. Many countries, as well as the European Commission, have incorporated the criteria into their architectural strategies and urban agendas.
Working groups within the Alliance discussed topics such as urban development, the circular economy, energy-efficient renovations and a certification system to jointly develop proposals on how to move forward. Toumazis stressed that, for a high quality built environment, the integration of culture in all areas of public policy is directly linked to holistic approaches to cultural governance.
He also informed that, on Cyprus' initiative and building on the Cyprus Presidency of the European Council in 2012, the respective priority of cultural governance has been included in the new EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026 with specific actions - some of which will be implemented
Toumazis expressed the urgent need to safeguard the heritage and the environment, as well as the need to join forces to work and discuss to achieve the realisation of a well-designed environment that seeks a better quality of life for all, based mainly on inclusiveness and people-centred approaches.
The Republic of Cyprus has signed the Davos Baukultur 2023 Memorandum and the Founding Act of the Davos Baukultur Alliance and seeks to contribute to their implementation in conjunction with EU initiatives. Alain Berset, held a bilateral meeting with him, during which issues of cooperation in the fields of culture were discussed.
(EL/MB/SX)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
Source[/P][/P][/URL][/P]
