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Deputy Minister of State for Culture Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou participated yesterday in the High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Action and Culture, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Ministerial Dialogue was held in the framework of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The aim of the meeting was to highlight the importance of the impact of climate change on culture and cultural heritage.
The meeting adopted the Emirates Declaration in relation to climate action in the field of culture, which lists several measures and concrete proposals, such as the preparation of a joint action plan and the enrichment of national adaptation plans for climate change and the cultural sector.
In addition, the High Level Ministerial Conference on Culture at COP28 decided to establish the "Friends Group on Climate Action in the Culture Sector", which will aim to systematically present and discuss the issue at subsequent COP meetings and to organize actions and create working groups to prepare contributions and recommendations to address climate change in culture.
As stated by the Deputy Minister of Culture, "Cyprus is among the founding states of this group and it is our intention to participate actively, contributing to international discussions on addressing the impacts of climate change in the broader field of culture, promoting cooperation between governments, the scientific/academic community and expert technocrats and civil society."
In her intervention at the Ministerial Dialogue, Dr Kassianidou highlighted the importance of taking action and international and regional cooperation. Climate change has an impact on the way cultural heritage is managed, preserved and protected and effective ways of cooperation must be found with the involvement of international organisations and especially organisations dealing with culture, she said.
Further, the Deputy Minister noted that Cyprus, as an island state in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is already experiencing the effects of climate change, has a particular interest in this issue. She also stressed the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus for regional cooperation, which was also mentioned by the President of the Republic of Cyprus recently during the COP28 Summit in Dubai.
After the conclusion of the Ministerial Conference, Dr Kassianidou had the opportunity to meet with Ministers of Culture of other countries and representatives of international organizations.
She also held bilateral meetings with the head of the ALIPH Foundation (International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas), Valéry Freland, as well as with Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, who chairs the Petra National Trust and is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
The Deputy Minister's meetings concluded with a multilateral meeting with the Secretary General of Europa Nostra Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, the Minister of Culture of Malta, Owen Bonnici and Princess Dana Firas of Jordan, with whom the importance of immediate action to protect cultural heritage from climate change in the Mediterranean region was further discussed, as well as ways to expand the Group of Friends for Climate Action in the field of culture.
(EFF/EP/AF)
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