EU-India to strengthen collaboration on cultural heritage conservation

The conference was opened by  Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Dr. BR Mani, Director General, National Museum. Ms Nirupama Kotru, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India gave a special address. 

Organized by the Delegation of the European Union to India and Embassies of EU Member States in collaboration with National Museum Institute of Art, Conservation and Museology, Government of India, the conference is hosted at the National Museum on 4-5 Dec 2018 in New Delhi.

European experts from Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain representing cross-section of fields relevant to cultural heritage conservation would share their experiences and expertise in this area. 

The main themes include: urban planning and the conservation of monuments; the use of non-invasive technologies for archaeological conservation; application of earth observation sciences and geospatial data; risk estimation for sites of high cultural value; and digitalization of items of cultural significance to make them accessible to a broader audience. Cutting-edge technological developments that offer opportunities for preserving our heritage and advancing socio-economic development will also be discussed.

EU Ambassador Tomasz Kozlowski said, "Cultural heritage is a collective as well as individual responsibility; it deserves to be recognized and preserved for future generations. The EU along with its Member States have been collaborating with India on cultural preservation through various projects. We hope this conference will further put a spotlight on this very important issue and strengthen our partnership further."

The conference marks in India the conclusion of the celebrations of 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage, the objective of which has been to further cultural heritage as a bridge builder between the EU and its key partner countries. The EU has been celebrating this year with a number of high-profile events among them its role as Guest of Honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair; the organization of the flagship-EU Film Festival in 11 cities across India; and the celebration of European literature and linguistic diversity at the "Long Night of Literatures" in Delhi.

 Attracted by India's rich cultural heritage, the number of European visitors to India has increased exponentially over the last few years. In 2017 alone, over 2 million Europeans visited India, accounting for roughly a quarter of all tourist arrivals in the country.