NAPLES, NOVEMBER 27 – For three days, Naples will be the capital of UNESCO culture. The UNESCO Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century Conference opened today at Palazzo Reale, bringing together representatives and experts from the member states of the United Nations organization. Two hundred delegations from around the world will hold meetings until November 29 with the aim of identifying a common strategy for the protection of UNESCO’s material and immaterial heritage. The priorities of the conference will then be encoded in a ‘Spirit of Naples’ declaration, which will be adopted at the conclusion of the proceedings.
The document will focus on the relationship between material and immaterial assets, climate change, whose effects also have a negative impact on the conservation and protection of monuments, and the fight against the illegal trafficking of cultural assets that affects, in a “significant way”, Italy and Greece, as emphasized.
Opening the conference, the message from the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, highlighted how “the preservation of culture in all its forms is among the highest expressions of collaboration between states, as well as a fundamental tool for civil coexistence and respect for others. A principle unfortunately ignored today in many parts of the world.” The conference is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, with the contribution of the City of Naples. Delegates will also visit some of the city’s main cultural, historical, artistic, and museum sites in these days.
Mattarella also noted that “Naples as the venue for this event is a happy choice… Few cities in the world better represent the fruitful interaction created over the centuries between material and immaterial heritage,” explained the Italian Head of State. “UNESCO – continued Mattarella – was born in the post-war period from the need for a vast reconstruction effort intended not only as a mere physical restoration of the territory but also as a rediscovery on different and better bases of the relationship between human beings. This need is reflected in its founding charter where, by indicating the maintenance of peace as the primary objective, a close correlation is drawn between culture, rights, and fundamental freedoms of the individual without distinctions or discriminations.”
Among the topics that the delegates will address is the sustainability of tourism, a phenomenon that, while helping the economic development of territories, must not distort their identity. It is in this direction that the proposal put forward by the municipal administration of Naples, which will be included in the concluding document of the UNESCO Conference, goes. “Regulation tools for the use of historical centers must be identified,” said Napoli’s Mayor, Gaetano Manfredi, “to regulate commercial and residential activities, also to ensure that territorial identities are preserved and that communities are not expelled from historical centers.” The issue of overcrowding in cities and especially their historical centers is a concern for many globally significant locations. Hence the request for states to adopt legislative tools to manage tourist flows to avoid touristification that permanently changes the nature and identity of historical centers. (@OnuItalia)
