The event was attended by the representatives of the Government of Ukraine, UNESCO, Ukrainian and foreign experts, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and public figures. In particular, Eskender Bariiev, Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Centre, member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, and Liudmyla Korotkikh, lawyer of the CTRC, also joined the conference.
– To discuss the relevance of the instruments of international law, in particular the Hague Convention and its two Protocols in the protection of cultural property/cultural heritage objects during armed conflict;
– To familiarize with the experience of Ukraine and other countries in the protection of cultural property/ cultural heritage objects during armed conflict;
– To summarise experience, results achieved, applied research and to define a roadmap for follow-up actions in the context of Ukraine’s implementation of the Hague Convention and its two Protocols.
On the basis of the conference materials, a conclusion will be developed and presented to a wide range of interested organisations and media. In addition, the basic theses of the declaration developed by the expert community are planned to be announced during the meeting of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Event of Armed Conflict in December.
We are sincerely grateful to our partners and the organisers of the event for the opportunity to gain new knowledge and make useful contacts. Indeed, one of the important areas of our work is the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.
The event was organized by the Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies (CISS), the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with the support of the “Engage!” Programme funded by USAID and implemented by Pact in Ukraine.