To the Ambassadors of States Party to the European Cultural Convention
Ref: KM/EN Strasbourg, 3 July 2019
Subject: Act for Heritage! Promoting the Council of Europe Convention on Offences
relating to Cultural Property, within governments and civil society
Nicosia, 24-26 October 2019 (Filoxenia Conference Center)
Dear Ambassador,
A two-day conference on promoting the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to
Cultural Property (the Nicosia Convention) will take place in Nicosia on 24-26 October 2019,
organised by the Commissioner for Volunteerism and Non-Governmental Organisations of the
Republic of Cyprus, in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus
and the Council of Europe, with the support of the European Union.
The Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property aims to prevent and
combat the illicit trafficking and destruction of cultural property and the financing of terrorism and
organised crime from the proceeds of such illegal activity. It promotes international co-operation
for a successful joint response to combating illegality and protecting cultural heritage. The
convention is the only international treaty specifically dealing with the criminalisation of the illicit
trafficking of cultural property, as well as setting up a framework of rules and procedures to
safeguard against illicit practices in the handling and trading of cultural goods.
The convention opened for signature in Nicosia on 19 May 2017 during the session of the
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Twelve states have signed the convention thus
far, amongst which two have ratified it. Five ratifications including at least three from member
States of the Council of Europe are required for the convention to enter into force.
The conference aims at exploring the possibilities of co-operation of various national and
international stakeholders for the purposes of the effective implementation of the objectives of
the convention.
The event will also feature findings from a new European study on trafficking of cultural property
and links to organised crime, a new Regulation by the European Commission on the import of
cultural goods as well as important relevant ongoing European research and action projects.
The conference will be highly interactive and offer thematic working groups to consolidate
insights and formulate action proposals for working vigorously towards a culture of awareness
and responsible handling of cultural property, empowering citizens and governments alike.
Participants of the conference will include high-level representatives of governments (cultural
heritage, crime prevention) and civil society/non-governmental organisations of Council of
Europe member States and Mediterranean neighbourhood countries, business representatives
as well as representatives of the European Union, UNESCO, UNIDROIT, international non-
governmental organisations and other relevant stakeholders.
We would like to invite you to nominate your government’s representative and to suggest a civil
society representative from your country before 11 August 2019. The nominated participants are
kindly requested to register at the conference website: www.coe.int/act-for-heritage and to
contact the conference Secretariat (
[email protected]) for assistance and further
information.
The Cypriot Authorities will cover accommodation costs (2 nights) for one civil society
representative per country and offer meals to all participants. Funding for the travel costs of
representatives of non-governmental organisations is available through the Council of Europe
and the European Union (please, contact the conference Secretariat).
We look forward to your country's participation at this important event and to fruitful debates
leading us all to Act for Heritage!
Yours sincerely,
Snežana Samardžić-Marković Yiannaki Yiannis
Director General of Democracy Commissioner for Volunteerism
Council of Europe and Non-Governmental Organisations
Republic of Cyprus
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