Spot on diversity

Reggio Emilia - the Italian member of the Intercultural cities network has produced a spot which was screened in select cinemas in the city until 18 December - International Day of Migrants. [18/12/2009]

Spot

Intercultural city: Reggio Emilia

Forum of the Intercultural Cities

In co-operation with and thanks to the contribution from the region of Apulia and the personal commitment of its President, Mr Vendola, the conference "Local communities and the policies of hospitality and integration in Europe and in the Mediterranean – Forum of the Intercultural Cities" was held in Bari, Italy on 11 December 2009. Representatives of the pilot Intercultural cities, Mayors from cities in the South Mediterranean and the Balkans region, officials from international and national institutions and organisations, intellectuals and journalists participated in this event to discuss the challenges of managing intercultural diversity at the local level. [08/12/2009]

Special file

Standing Committee of the Bern Convention

The 29th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention) took place in Bern (Switzerland) from 23-26 November in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention. Delegates unanimously adopted the Bern Declaration "on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Europe: 2010 and beyond", recognising the valuable role played by the Bern Convention in the protection of Europe’s nature, and stressing the main priority issues for the years to come. (more...) [04/12/2009]

Bern Convention marks its 30th anniversary

Factsheet ''Emerald Network''

Council of Europe and United Nations strengthen synergies for nature preservation

IHPE Exhibition

The prizewinning pictures from the "International Heritage Photographic Experience - Heritage and Landscape" (IHPE) competition will be on display in the Committee of Ministers Foyer from the 4th of December 2009 until the end of January 2010. The competition is intended to encourage young people to adopt a creative approach and take a personal look, via the medium of photography, at elements of the cultural heritage around them, in liaison with the landscape. A prize-winning ceremony involving about a hundred young people from various countries was held on Monday 7 December 2009 in the Palais de l'Europe. [26/11/2009]

Prize-winning ceremony programme

IHPE website

Colloquy launching the publication "Heritage and Beyond"

A Colloquy launching the publication "Heritage and Beyond" was held in Lisbon (Portugal) on 20 November at the Gulbenkian Foundation. The Colloquy was organised by the Council of Europe, the "Centro Nacional de Cultura" and the Institute for the Management of the Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IGESPAR) with the support of the Gulbenkian Foundation. It brought together Ministers of Culture, parliamentarians, academics and high-level experts to discuss the contribution of cultural heritage to the progress of society as highlighted in the Faro Convention. The Convention, recently ratified by Portugal, requires two more ratifications to enter into force. Over 200 participants attended. [29/10/2009]

Special file

Order the publication

Download the publication

Ministerial Conference on "Rehabilitating our Common Heritage"

A Ministerial Conference on "Rehabilitating our Common Heritage", organised in the framework of the Slovenian Chairmanship of the CoE Committee of Ministers, was held on 6 and 7 November in Ljubljana (Slovenia). The ministerial conference raised awareness about the important social and economic potential of the rehabilitation of cultural heritage, as implemented through the Integrated Rehabilitation Project Plan/Survey of the Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IRPP/SAAH), a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission in South-East Europe since 2003. Almost thirty countries were represented at this conference which was opened by Danilo Türk, President of Slovenia, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner. (more...) [28/10/2009]

Ljubljana declaration

Euronews reports

Euronews recently produced two television features on the activities of the Directorate of Culture, Education and Sport. The channel screened a report on the launch of the Roma cultural route in Lendava and Kamenci, Slovenia, in October. This week it is showing a report on the Neukoelln district of Berlin, which is taking part in the Intercultural cities programme, run in cooperation with the European Commission. [09/11/2009]

Report on Roma

Report on Neukölln

Cultural Policy Review of Turkey

On 1-7 November, the first review visit to Ankara and Istanbul was successfully carried out by a group of independent experts. They met high officials, including the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, policy makers from cultural and related fields, managers of cultural institutions, representatives of the media, tourism, civil society and the independent cultural sectors and a manager of Istanbul 2010 - European Cultural Capital. A draft national report on Turkish cultural policy will be drawn up following this visit. A second visit to Turkey by the experts is planned for spring 2010, followed by the production of an independent expert’s report. This is the Council of Europe’s 29th cultural policy review exercise, which is expected to make a major contribution to the country’s development strategies for the cultural and heritage sectors. [16/11/2009]

Special file

Intercultural cities in Japan

Representatives of pilot cities engaged in the Intercultural cities programme visited Japan on 1-6 November. They presented the European model for intercultural integration of migrants and minorities and study Japan’s experience with "multicultural symbiosis" (Tabunka-kyosei). The study visit was organised with the support of the Japan Foundation. (more...)  [15/10/2009]

Cultural Policy Review of Turkey
A group of independent experts visited Turkey in early November to study the country's policy in the fields of culture and heritage and explored with authorities ways of strengthening their work in line with Council of Europe principles. Turkey is the 29th country to participate in the Council of Europe’s review programme. [09/10/2009]

Special file

Establishing the Emerald Network in Morocco

The Emerald Network consists of an extensive programme of national projects set up with a view to developing a pilot database on selected areas representative of the habitat types and species found in each country. National projects also include the establishment and appointment of national multidisciplinary teams bringing together various scientific institutions in the countries concerned. The aim of the pilot project in Morocco is to build up about 10% of the final Emerald Network database for the country by June 2010. (more...) [26/10/2009]

Breaking Down Barriers Conference

The Breaking Down Barriers Conference, organised by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the Council of Europe, and Culture Action Europe, took place on 28 October in Brussels. This conference followed-up on recommendations made at recent seminars, particularly the CultureWatchEurope conference in Cracow (June 2009), to chart a way towards stronger integration for cultural players and decision makers in Europe. [20/10/2009]

Programme

HEREIN Jubilee

The National Office of Cultural Heritage in Hungary is dedicating a three-part article series (starting in September) in its official journal "Örökség" about the Council of Europe and the Herein Network, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Council of Europe and the 10th of the network. The articles focus particularly on the national policies, the follow-up mechanism and the Thesaurus. The presentation of the first article can be found on the web page of Hungary’s National Office of Cultural Heritage: http://www.koh.hu. Thanks to the series, the National Office is helping to promote the Council of Europe’s policy in cultural heritage. [14/10/2009]

Roundtable on intercultural dialogue in Baku

To continue the "Baku process" for intercultural dialogue launched in December 2008, more than 10 member states of the Council of Europe were invited to participate in the 6th Ministerial Conference of Ministers of Culture of Islamic countries in Baku on 13-15 October 2009. On the first day of the conference, organised by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a Ministerial Roundtable on "New Challenges for Dialogue between Civilisations" took place. The delegations present at the roundtable stressed the need to enhance bilateral, regional and international co-operation between European and Islamic countries in the sectors of culture, arts and heritage. Among the projects discussed was "Artists for Dialogue", an initiative that was launched at the Baku Conference of December 2008. [08/10/2009]
Programme
Baku Declaration (December 2008)

Bern Convention work on Biodiversity of European Islands

The Bern Convention has just created a working group of experts on biodiversity of European islands, which met in Tenerife (Canary islands) from 1 to 3 October 2009. The Group decided to focus its work, in the next three years, in the elaboration of a Charter on Biodiversity in European Islands. (more...) [22/10/2009]

Launch of the Roma Route project

The official launch of the Roma Route project was held on 7 and 8 October in Lendava (Slovenia), with the support of the Government Office for National Minorities of Slovenia on the occasion of the Slovenian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe. The intention behind the creation of this Route is to improve Europeans' knowledge about Roma history, culture, values and lifestyle, to encourage the Roma people to contribute to the diversity of European cultural life, and ultimately to help create a positive image of the Roma people and to combat stereotyped perceptions. [30/09/2009]
Programme

Council of Europe 2009 Landscape Award goes to Lille

The "Parc de la Deûle", Lille Métropole (France) has received the Council of Europe 2009 Landscape Award. In the framework of the Landscape Convention, a special mention goes to the "Parque de Christina Enea", San Sebastián (Spain). (more...) [09/10/2009]

European Landscape Convention : Workshops Meeting in Malmö
Around 300 participants were present at the 8th Meeting of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention. Climate change and the new energy paradigm for Europe, the ''globalscape'', social transformations, as well as production systems and consumption patterns were the main topics to be discussed. (more ...) [05/10/2009]

The Council of Europe calls for comprehensive film policies

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted on 23 September Recommendation (2009) 7 on film policies and the diversity of cultural expressions. This recommendation, which is a non-binding international legal instrument, encourages film policy bodies in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe to adapt their projects to current technological and cultural changes and to optimise the use of resources in order to increase circulation and audience numbers. [28/09/2009]
Recommendation (2009) 7
Special file

2nd European Heritage Forum

The 2nd European Heritage Forum on "Heritage, creativity and innovation" took place in Ljubljana, on 23 September 2009, within the framework of the European Heritage Days – a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. It was a contribution to the 2009 European Year of Creativity and Innovation and was organised in the context of the Slovenian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. (more...) [06/10/2009]

Exhibition "Ljubljana Process – Rehabilitating our Common Heritage"

The photographic exhibition "Ljubljana Process – Rehabilitating our Common Heritage"  presents the results of the "Integrated Rehabilitation Project Plan/Survey of the Architectural and Archaeological Heritage" implemented by the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The virtual exhibition will be online on 6 November. (more...) [23/09/2009]

2009 Label "Cultural Event"
The label "Council of Europe Cultural Event" recognises exceptional and innovative cultural and artistic projects which address key challenges of today’s European societies and convey strong messages related to the Council of Europe’s mission and values. The following projects have been awarded the Council of Europe "Cultural Event" label in 2009: the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation for their project "The Green Voices", first Contemporary Art Biennial of Sarajevo, "Ark Underground", Tbilisi International Theatre Festival. (more...) [15/09/2009]

Art and Climate Change

"Why the arts and culture are vital for dealing with climate change" was be discussed in a panel by an artist, cultural operators and parliamentarians on 29 September 2009 during the PACE session. This is the first event of an upcoming series of discussions on the issue of climate change in relation to Human Rights, ethics, migration, education, cultural heritage, etc the Directorate of Culture and cultural and natural heritage will organise in the near future. (more...) [21/09/2009]

European Heritage Days
The Second European Heritage Forum on "Heritage, creativity and innovation" took place in Ljubljana (Slovenia), on 23 September 2009, within the framework of the European Heritage Days - a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. It was held during the Slovenian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers and was a contribution to the 2009 European Year of Creativity and Innovation. Participants from the 49 States parties to the European Cultural Convention, representatives of the European Commission and international governmental and non-governmental organisations participated in the Forum. It was followed on 24 September by the annual meeting of the Group of Coordinators of the European Heritage Days. (more...) [03/09/2009]
Special file

  Biodiversity: 30th anniversary of the Bern Convention
The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, adopted in Bern in 1979, marked its 30th anniversary on 19th September. It reached 48 Contracting Parties and 50 signatories. The European Community and its 27 Member States are Parties to the Bern Convention, as well as four African States. (more...) [18/09/2009]
Bern Convention

Serbia joins the EUR-OPA Agreement
The Republic of Serbia has officially joined the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA) on 17 September. Therefore, Serbia becomes the 26th member of the Agreement. [18/09/2009]

New Directorate website
The new website of the Directorate for Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage features much improved graphics, simplified navigation and easier access to documents and resources. [15/09/2009]
www.coe.int/culture

Portugal: 8th state to ratify the Faro Convention
On 28 August 2009, Portugal ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society. The Convention, also known as the Faro Convention, will enter into force upon deposit of ten ratifications. The Convention focuses on people rather than objects. It addresses the meanings of heritage, its interpretation and the ethics of its use for the benefit of society as a whole. Heritage is regarded as a means of strengthening social ties and social cohesion, engendering a shared sense of involvement in the process of building societies. [04/09/2009]

Faro Convention: Interview of Daniel Thérond
A video interview of Daniel Thérond, head of the Cultural Heritage division that promotes respect for and development of heritage, is online on the blog of the France 3 program "Avenue de l'Europe". He explains that the right to heritage, to its history and to a collective memory, is a human right. [09/07/2009]
Interview [FR]

Belarus: launch of joint programme on biodiversity
Organised by the Council of Europe and the European Commission to the end of 2011, the programme aims at identifying and protecting natural habitats to be part of the Emerald Network, an entity which was set up under the Bern Convention to facilitate the establishment of national networks of protected areas. (more...) [03/08/2009]

Azerbaijan: launch of joint programme on biodiversity 
The objective set for Azerbaijan is to select areas representative of the country’s species and habitat types, in line with the relevant recommendations and resolutions of the Bern Convention. The first national workshop took place in Baku from 11 to 13 August.  (more...) [06/08/2009]

Kyiv: Symposium on sustainable development in Europe
National, regional and local authorities, representatives of governments, experts and professionals from all over Europe met on 11 June for the CEMAT Symposium (Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning). Discussions were held on the topic ''Comprehensive approach to balanced sustainable development of the European continent''. (more...) [15/06/2009]

Culture and development 20 years after the fall of communism, 4-6 June, Cracow, Poland
Co-organised by the International Cultural Centre of Cracow and the City of Cracow, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Poland, the conference debated the role and practice of culture in central and eastern Europe, twenty years after the fall of communism. The event is the first of a series of CultureWatchEurope (CWE) conferences. [15/06/2009]
Special file

New Herein Thesaurus correspondent for Ireland
Mr Eddie Forsyth has been nominated Thesaurus correspondent for Ireland bringing the total number of countries participating in the Thesaurus to 20 and the total number of Thesaurus correspondents to 25. The multilingual Thesaurus attached to the European Heritage Network, HEREIN (42 member states) offers a terminological standard for national policies dealing with architectural and archaeological heritage. [21/06/2009]

Plenary meeting of the Wine Culture Tourism Exchange Project
The 4th plenary meeting of the Wine Culture Tourism Exchange Project (WCTE) took place from 21 to 23 May 2009 in Skopje and Negotino ("the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"). Identification of resources to ensure sustainability and of new partnerships; definition of a steering mechanism, agreement on a WCTE governing Charter and on the modalities of operation for the rest of 2009 and beyond were the main subjects of the meeting. [25/05/2009]

22 May 2009: The International Day for Biological Diversity
The United Nations proclaimed 22 May as "the International Day for Biological Diversity" to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme for the International Day on Biological Diversity in 2009 is invasive alien species (IAS), "one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, and to the ecological and economic well-being of society and the planet" according to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. [22/05/2009]

8th plenary Session of the Steering Committee for Culture
The 8th Plenary Session of the Steering Committee for Culture (CDCULT) took place in Strasbourg from 14 to 15 May 2009. During this meeting, the progress reports of the Committee's key activities such as the Cultural Policy Reviews, the Compendium, "CultureWatchEurope" (cultural governance observatory function) as well as of the Intercultural Cities project were on the agenda. The follow-up to the Baku Ministerial Conference (December 2008) was another important item of discussion. The CDCULT also reflected on further optimisation of its working methods. [18/05/2009]
Recent developments at national level – short reports by CDCULT members

8th meeting of the Compendium authors, Madrid, 7-8 May 2009
The 8th Authors’ meeting of the "Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe", a unique reference work on European cultural policies, was held in Madrid (Spain) from 7 to 8 May 2009 in the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. During this meeting, a new version of the electronic system was presented and six working groups were in charge of optimising the Compendium methodological grid. Moreover, the creation of a new transversal space on "Ethics and human rights in cultural policy" was prepared and the enlargement of the system towards other systems of information beyond Europe discussed.  [10/05/2009]

Managing diversity: stronger communities, better cities

[10/05/2009] Organised jointly by the Council of Europe, the City of Tilburg, the Province of Noord-Brabant, the Japan Foundation and Ordina, the conference "Managing diversity: stronger communities, better cities" took place in Tilburg (the Netherlands) from 15 to 17 April 2009. Experts from Europe, US, Japan and South Africa and representatives of pilot cities participating in the Intercultural cities programme exchanged experiences on innovative approaches to diversity management and community-building. The conference papers, discussions and study visits provided useful insights for pilot cities which are in the process of preparing their intercultural policy strategies. In the broader context of the Intercultural cities programme the conference results will contribute to the preparation of guidelines for intercultural city-building.

Launch of the" Handbook on values for life in a democracy"

[04/05/2009] The Handbook was presented at the Celebration conference marking the 60th Anniversary of the Council of Europe in Bucharest on 5 May 2009 at the Parliament of Romania. Dr Robert Stradling, editor of the publication, and Mr Mihai Manea, President of the History Teachers' Association in Romania, presented the Handbook. The Handbook is one of the results of the post-Summit Project on "Cultural identities, shared values and citizenship".

Bosnia and Herzegovina 7th state to ratify the Faro Convention

[01/05/2009] On 30 April 2009 Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society. The Convention, also known as the Faro Convention, will enter into force upon deposit of ten ratifications. The Convention deals with people rather than objects. It addresses the meanings of heritage, its interpretation and the ethics of its use for the benefit of society as a whole. Heritage is regarded as a means of strengthening social ties and social cohesion, engendering a shared sense of involvement in the process of building societies.

Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe

[16/04/2009] On 15 April 2009 the Spanish Ministry of Culture convened in Madrid the 16th meeting of the Advisory Committee for the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The Advisory Committee assists the Steering Committee for Culture (CDCULT) in the evaluation of new networks involved in the Cultural Routes Programme. Following the Madrid meeting, the Advisory Committee will propose to the CDCULT to add one new mention and six approval criteria to networks already operating as Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.

Congress endorses the Intercultural Cities approach

[11/03/2009] The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe discussed on 4 March a report based on the Intercultural Cities joint programme of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, and recommended to local authorities to follow closely this pilot experience. Mayors from pilot cities participated in a round table debate at the Congress chamber.

Cultural policy hearing in Sofia

[10/03/2009] "It is high time to reassess the Landry report", said Deputy Minister for Culture, Yavor Milushev, when opening a cultural policy hearing in Sofia on 9 March. The event took place 10 years after the launch of the Bulgarian review, the 9th in the series of meanwhile 29 Council of Europe cultural policy reviews.

Bosnia and Herzegovina to join the Bern convention

[07/03/2009] On 1 March 2009, Bosnia and Herzegovina became the 48th Contracting Party to the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979).The Bern Convention brings together most member countries of the Council of Europe, the European Community and four African States (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Tunisia and Morocco), given that this European treaty on nature conservation also includes the protection of migratory species.

Fulfilling the Ljubljana objectives

[05/04/2009] The funding of the European heritage rehabilitation projects is mobilising the political authorities and professionals in the South-East Europe region in 2009 as part of what will be the last stage of the Joint Action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The “Ljubljana Process – Funding Heritage Rehabilitation in South-East Europe” was launched by Commissioners Figel and Rehn during the conference organised by the Slovenian EU Presidency on 13-15 May 2008 entitled "New Paradigms, New Models – Culture in the EU External Relations".

Launch of the" Handbook on values for life in a democracy"

[05/04/2009] The "Handbook on values for life in a democracy" was launched at the EUROCLIO annual conference in Nicosia (Cyprus), on 7 April 2009. The Handbook is one of the results of the post-Summit Project on "Cultural identities, shared values and citizenship". EUROCLIO is the European Standing Conference of History Teachers' Associations.

Addressing challenges for film policy

[03/03/2009] The Council of Europe is carrying out a review of national film policies to identify responses to the key challenges to European film today. Access to markets and audiences in the context of growing digitalisation and diversification of distribution channels and changing viewing habits, disengagement of broadcasters, insufficient distribution channels for European children's content, the need for audience development, are among the issues of concern. Representatives of the Council of Europe member states met on 26 and 27 February in Strasbourg to review the recommendations of the film policy forum held in Krakow in September 2008, and prepared a policy document for the attention of governments.

Ministerial conference on Intercultural Dialogue

[19/01/2009] The first conference on intercultural dialogue at a ministerial level, the Conference of Ministers responsible for Culture took place from 2-3 December 2008 in Baku, Azerbaijan on the topic of "Intercultural dialogue as a basis for peace and sustainable development in Europe and its neighbouring regions".

The Phoenicians’ Route in France

[09/02/2009] The Phoenicians’ Route was introduced on 11th February 2009 at the Italian Institute of Culture in Marseille and on 12th February at the University in Montpellier. The theme is "Valorisation of the Cultural Mediterranean Heritage: The Phoenicians’ Route and the cultural itineraries of the Council of Europe as experience of the natural and cultural heritage pedagogy".