Increasing awareness on the importance of reinforcing cultural heritage (CH) protection against natural hazards is an urgent matter that is drawing the attention of all actors concerned to address related issues in a holistic and integrated manner.
In this sense, the International Conference “Solidarity in culture: Heritage protection under conditions of crisis”, organized by the National and University Library in Zagreb – in partnership with the European Commission, and with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and the National UNESCO Commission – is a great opportunity for all to feed this debate by fostering cooperation in the field of prevention, response and recovery efforts to increase the resilience of cultural heritage at risk of disaster. The event will take place in a virtual mode from 18 to 20 March.
On 19 March, during the morning session on “Networking, Coordination and Collaboration (Interoperability)”, Sanda Milošević, from the CH Unit within the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate, will share the floor with Veronica Piacentini, expert in CH disaster management from the Italian Civil Protection Department working on PROCULTHER, to discuss the importance of reinforcing synergies and actions among disaster risk management and CH actors to ensure a coordinated and effective protection of the invaluable heritage at risk of disaster. On one hand, Ms Milošević will present the role of the Croatian Civil Protection Directorate in the protection of CH in the recent emergencies. On the other, Ms Piacentini will introduce the Italian significant experience in the management of emergencies affecting CH and will explain the work carried out with the other project Partners to support and complement the efforts made by the European Union to strengthen cooperation between the EU Member States and Participating States in this field. In particular, she will tell more on the approach adopted by PROCULTHER for the elaboration of a common European methodology, the necessary tools, and capacities to include the protection of CH in the disaster risk management cycle and to ensure a structured collaboration among CH and Civil Protection (CP) actors at local, national, and European level.
Furthermore, this virtual conference will foresee poster sessions, workshops, and roundtable discussions involving researchers, academics, practitioners, professionals, and volunteers that belong to both the worlds of CP and CH, including representatives from local and national Croatian authorities, EU Member States, and from international organisations and stakeholders active in this field, among others UNESCO, ICOMOS-ICORP, ICCROM and Blue Shield. All conference participants will have the opportunity to share novel perspectives in the field of heritage management and protection in times of crisis, as well as exploring risk reduction policies, new ways for networking and for increased interoperability and reinforce cooperation between the cultural and civil protection sectors, with a look at innovative technologies developed to support prevention and response actions in this field.
The event is open to a maximum of 500 participants, interested audience can follow the PROCULTHER intervention in livestream upon registration by 15th March through the Conference website.
Conference agenda (last version 17 March 2021)
Press Release issued by the National and University Library of Zagreb
