Geneva Declaration ‘Human Rights and Culture Heritage: Committed Cities Working Together’ adopted

The Geneva Declaration ‘Human Rights and Culture Heritage: Committed Cities Working Together’ was adopted in Geneva, Switzerland on 26 March 2018, marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Declaration aims to clarify cities’ obligations in the area of cultural heritage rehabilitation, particularly in relation to intentionally destroyed cultural heritage. It also puts forward proposals for implementation, particularly in relation to participative and inclusive mechanisms used in identifying cultural heritage and in renovation processes; in developing a network of solidarity between cities that have become refuges for cultural heritage and its defenders; in the evaluation of renovation processes, including their impact on populations.

The cities of Mosul (Iraq) and Timbuktu (Mali) were among the first to have signed the Declaration. 

The Geneva Declaration was an initiative by the City of Geneva, drafted by a group of international experts with the collaboration of the Observatory of Diversity and Cultural Rights.

More information is available here: http://www.ville-geneve.ch/mairie-geneve/manifestations-evenements/villes-signent-declaration-geneve/