Since 2016, the Center for Cultural Property Protection has organised the 'Spotlight Cultural Property Protection' lecture series, which has established itself as a platform for exchange on the topic of cultural property protection. This year, the series had a special focus: the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Hague Convention.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Hague Convention, UNESCO and its partner organisations are stepping up their efforts with numerous events and campaigns to achieve worldwide ratification of the Convention.
Under the patronage of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO and in close cooperation with the institutions of the speakers, Spotlight Cultural Property Protection 2024 was dedicated to the topic of humanitarian aid and disaster prevention in the context of cultural property protection.
The 1954 Hague Convention
The 1954 Hague Convention, the first instrument of international law to protect cultural property in armed conflict, is the cornerstone of modern cultural property protection. Created in the aftermath of the devastation of World War II, the Convention prohibits the destruction, theft and looting of cultural property in times of war and calls for preventive measures in times of peace. It makes an important contribution to the promotion of respect, diversity and peace, and is a pillar of cultural preservation worldwide.
Spotlight Cultural Property Protection
The 2024 online event series provided an exciting insight into the diverse challenges and innovative solutions in the field of cultural property protection. International experts from different disciplines and fields of work shared their valuable experiences and best practices with a wide range of participants. The interdisciplinary approach underlined the global dimension and relevance of the topic. The discussions provided deep insights into the complex dynamics of cultural property protection and promoted the exchange of knowledge and strategies.
There were four themed evenings in the lecture series:
The first evening was devoted to the history of the 1954 Hague Convention and earlier attempts to protect cultural property in conflict situations. The event was moderated by Florian Meixner of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, with Nigel Pollard of Swansea University and Tim Le Berre of the French Army providing historical background.
The second evening focused on education and training in the field of cultural property protection, in particular authentic training scenarios and the development of national cultural property protection systems for emergency situations. Anna Kaiser from the Center for Cultural Property Protection, Hannes Schramm from the Cultural Office of the Principality of Liechtenstein and Diamantis Panagiotopoulos from the Heidelberg Centre for Cultural Heritage shared their expertise and provided insights into best practices.
The third evening was dedicated to armed conflict and monitoring measures for the protection of cultural property, using current events in Ukraine as a case study. Katherine Harrell, historian at the Navy History and Heritage Command and researcher at the CURIA Lab for the Conflict Observatory, and Major Albin Rentenberger from the Austrian Armed Forces discussed current challenges and possible solutions, moderated by Laurie Rush (US Army).
The fourth evening focused on humanitarian aid and disaster response in the context of cultural property protection, with a special emphasis on earthquake situations and training. Zeynep Gül Ünal from the Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi and Chief Warrant Officer Eugenio Borgese from the Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale presented their work and experiences, moderated by Valerie Higgins from the American University of Rome.
The evenings provided valuable insights and promoted international exchange in the field of cultural property protection.
Recordings of three of the evenings are available on our YouTube channel.
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