The Commissioner for Volunteerism and Non-Governmental Organisations of the Republic of Cyprus, in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, the Council of Europe and the European Union is organising a two-day Conference on promoting the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property (the Nicosia Convention) on 24-26 October 2019. The aim is to raise awareness and promote shared efforts at fighting offences relating to cultural property.

The event will also feature findings from a new European study on trafficking of cultural property and links to organised crime, new regulation by the European Commission on import of cultural goods as well as important ongoing European research and action projects

The conference will be highly interactive and combine specialists’ points of view with those of more generalist heritage actors. Finally, based on in-depth debates in four thematic working groups, it will consolidate insights and formulate action proposals for working vigorously and in co-operation towards a culture of awareness and responsible handling of cultural property, empowering citizens and governments alike.