During the plenary session of the Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape (CDCPP) held online on 12 November 2020, Barbara Toce (Italy, SOC/G/PD) presented the report "Cultures without borders: Cultural heritage management for local and regional development".
The rapporteur focused on the understanding of cultural heritage both as tangible objects and as intangible practices, knowledge and experiences. "Cultural heritage management is not only about preserving our societies’ material assets. It must also be a powerful tool for social cohesion and intercultural dialogue," she said, highlighting the idea of an inclusive concept that brings communities together. "Cultural heritage can contribute to building inclusive societies and because it can serve economic growth, it is also a tool for sustainable socio-economic development," she stated.
The lack of tools and the absence of inclusive governance systems are obstacles to the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Barbara Toce said.
The report encourages local and regional authorities to create tools, public exchange platforms for citizens and promote sustainable cultural tourism. "It is also important for elected representatives to work with associative or institutional partners to implement various projects," the rapporteur stressed, explaining that the authorities of Council of Europe member states also have a role to play in drawing up guidelines and providing financial support for European initiatives in this field.
"Europe is going through an identity crisis: identity policies are pitting different communities against one another. It is necessary to call on the international community to reinvest in international cooperation and to promote dialogue between our communities," Barbara Toce concluded by inviting those countries that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Faro Convention and the European Landscape Convention.
- The report "Cultures without borders: Cultural heritage management for local and regional development" was adopted by the Current Affairs Committee and will be presented to the next Congress session in 2021.
- The work of the Congress Current Affairs Committee
