Director-General Webber Ndoro visited the Italian island of Lampedusa last month for a day-long conference exploring opportunities for strengthening ties between Europe and Africa, organized by the University of Teramo, the Municipality of Lampedusa and Linosa, the Municipality of Teramo, the Archdiocese of Agrigento and the Diocese of Teramo-Atri, in collaboration with Snapshots from the Borders.
Other close partners of ICCROM at the gathering were the Directorate General for Development Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ICOMOS Italia, who joined representatives from a range of organizations on both continents, including the University of Ngozi in Burundi, the University of Mbujimayi in Congo, and United Cities and Local Government (UCLG).
The Director-General addressed an afternoon session themed around international cooperation and social cohesion. He said ICCROM had an interest in fostering relevant expertise in African countries, in collaboration with universities and other institutions there and in Europe. “We are an organization committed to building capacity where it is needed, particularly among young people, so they can contribute to the process of preserving cultural heritage in Africa.”
The event was held in preparation for the third edition of the Euro-African Rectors Conference at the upcoming International Forum of Gran Sasso in September 2021, which will seek to advance commitments set out in the 2019 Teramo Charter aimed at supporting young people through education and research. This year’s theme is ‘Building the future together: the role of academic cooperation in shaping a new project of socio-economic integration for youth’.
In 2020, ICCROM launched a new programme to engage and to empower Africa’s youth to protect cultural heritage and rejuvenate cultural heritage-based livelihoods for a socio-economic integration and resilience.