On 5 June the Forum gave voice to a debate on risk reduction strategies in cultural heritage organized by PROCULTHER-NET and AFAD (Türkiye), to exchange global, national and European perspectives, experiences and research-based approaches. Here below are the main outcomes of a dedicated session attended by some 100 experts invited to explore the multiple facets of this critical issue
In the wake of the slogan “Shaping a disaster-resilient Union: charting a path for the future of European civil protection- Charting a path for the future of European civil protection”, the 8th European Civil Protection Forum has dedicated a panel discussion on “Risk reduction strategies in cultural heritage”.
On 5 June 2024, around 100 experts attended this event organised by the PROCULTHER-NET 2 project and AFAD (Türkiye) to provide the Union Civil Protection Mechanism’s participating states and the stakeholders in this field with a space for discussion, and find elements to face the challenges posed by emerging risks so as to further boost the development of this sector both at global and European levels.
Giovanni De Siervo, Project Director of PROCULTHER-NET, from the Italian Civil Protection Department, opened the meeting as session moderator. Prominent speakers coming from UNESCO Europe, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture - DG EAC, AFAD (Türkiye) and the University College London ensured a multidisciplinary perspective while stressing the importance of strengthening the protection of cultural heritage at risk.
During the discussion the importance of fostering dialogue among various organizations and institutions involved in cultural heritage protection emerged as a crucial element to increase technical and operational capacities in this field. The PROCULTHER document “Key Elements of a European Methodology to Address the Protection of Cultural Heritage during Emergencies” was quoted by the speakers as a first knowledge base for UCPM participating states on which to continue building a common European approach.
“Cultural heritage and disaster risk management experts -these two worlds- must work together in preparedness not only during emergencies.”
The first panellist, Louise Haxthausen, UNESCO Representative to the European Union, stressed the importance of the interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration among the various organisations and institutions involved, to support the paradigm shift initiated within the UCPM for a better protection of cultural heritage in all disaster risk management phases. The strategic actions promoted by both European and global actors could facilitate the establishment of a sustainable governance for the protection of cultural heritage at risk.
The next speaker, Stefan Zotti, Team leader for cultural heritage at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture - DG EAC, introduced the work carried out by the European Commission to enhance cross-sectoral collaboration among the different agencies involved in cultural heritage protection during emergencies. He added that by working together, it is possible to define standard procedures allowing to optimize resources and efforts to achieve the common objective of improving technical and operational capacities to better protect cultural heritage and the communities that cherish it.
Furthermore, Zotti presented the training courses foreseen by DG-EAC on the topic of disaster risk management and cultural heritage that will add further capacity building opportunities for experts from both sides in addition to the training programme currently planned by PROCULTHER-NET for the year 2025
“Volunteers must be trained and their role in emergency clearly defined”
The third panellist, Burcu Ertaş Deniz, Geological Engineer from the Turkish Ministry of Interior - AFAD, shared the perspective from a DG-ECHO funded project implemented in Türkiye to define risk reduction procedures for cultural heritage at local and national level. The audience was very interested in the lessons learnt from the earthquake that struck Kahramanmaraş province in February 2023. The response to this great emergency represents a turning point in the country’s approach to risk management and preparedness because it confirmed that, to better protect cultural heritage, it is essential to strengthen intersectoral collaboration between agencies and institutions, which also involves the coordination of the various actors engaged, including volunteers that must be trained before their deployment in the field.
With a view to a renewed collaboration with the academic world, the last panellist, Dr Yasemin D. Aktas, Deputy Director at the UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings, University College London, completed the picture by providing the session with the technical approach of research, clarifying the potential contribution that knowledge holders can make to the elaboration of risk reduction strategies for cultural heritage. Resilience is a system issue that requires the understanding of multiple factors, therefore Dr Aktas outlined how a research-based approach can be effectively taken into account in the further development of the shared standards and common language proposed by PROCULTHER. In particular, she explained how research findings can impact the disaster risk management community so as to ensure their value also from an academic point of view. Learning from the successes achieved in the past years, the main challenge is promoting cross-sectoral cooperation and dialogue among disaster risk managers, cultural heritage professionals, and knowledge holders, such as those from academia, to develop a common language and methodology. This methodology should be simple, replicable, and applicable when disasters impact cultural heritage and the related community
“Any protocol should be flexible enough to be representative in many situations or contexts”
In an attempt to draw some conclusions from the key points that emerged from the debate, Mr De Siervo concluded that recognizing the protection of cultural heritage at risk as a civil protection sector is a significant milestone.
Now that a strong and effective bridge between the cultural heritage and the disaster risk management fields has been established, it’s time to apply and test this common methodology during emergencies, while also focusing on preparedness. New and stronger threats to cultural heritage and communities, such as climate change-induced disasters, require stronger dialogue and cooperation between experts from both sectors. Academia can also make a significant contribution to the implementation of mitigation procedures and standards, thanks to in-depth analysis of risk scenarios, for example. Universities and research centres also play an important role in raising awareness among new generations.
“If we want to contrast the increasing risks that we are experiencing and effectively reinforce the protection of cultural heritage at risk, we need to fill gaps without creating overlaps. We need to build a community.”
Finally, Mr De Siervo added that to facilitate the implementation of these capacity building actions and knowledge transfer processes, it is crucial to sustain a thematic community of practice dedicated to cultural heritage. This confirms that the approach and the activities planned within PROCULTHER-NET 2, the ongoing project (2024-2025) co-funded by DG ECHO, are moving in the right direction. This exchange indeed provided a new impulse to consolidate and further expand the thematic community dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage at risk established by the project within the UCPKN.
Still within the scope of the advocacy actions promoted by the project, the representatives of PROCULTHER-NET 2 were at the Civil Protection Village, the exhibition area organized in parallel with the Forum; they exchanged with experts already aware of the thematic community and met new stakeholders eager to learn more and become an active part of it