On 6 May 2025, ICCROM Director-General Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral had the honour of welcoming H.E. Dr Vasiliki Kassianidou, Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus, accompanied by H.E. Mr Yiorgos Christofides, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Italy. The delegation also included Mrs Kypriani Stavrinaki, Counsellor at the Embassy, and Dr Skevi Christodoulou, Advisor to the Deputy Minister.
The meeting marked another milestone in the long-standing partnership between ICCROM and Cyprus, which celebrated 60 years of membership in 2023. Since 1963, the partnership has focused on strengthening capacities for cultural heritage management through technical assistance, capacity-building initiatives, and joint conservation projects.
Discussions centred on deepening cooperation and reaffirming the essential role of culture in addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change and multiple disasters towards long-term development.
Shared priorities include enhancing technical support on the ground, integrating culture into policy-making processes, supporting participatory management for World Heritage, heritage-based development, and exploring innovative approaches to conserving and managing urban and built heritage. Tools such as risk map, post-event assessment forms and Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 were highlighted for their role in documenting damage and risks at affected heritage sites and assessing management effectiveness.
ICCROM also presented archival materials from past missions and collaborative efforts in Cyprus, including the conservation of mosaics at sites like Kourion and Paphos, and the development of disaster risk management strategies across the island. These efforts have focused not only on mitigating damage to heritage sites but also on building local capacity and engaging communities in the sustainable management of cultural resources. Key projects such as MOSAIKON and a series of conservation conferences in Nicosia have helped promote integrated approaches to safeguarding both natural and cultural heritage.
Cyprus’s commitment to safeguarding both tangible and intangible heritage opens new avenues for collaboration, particularly in support of community-driven initiatives. Opportunities could include the UNESCO World Heritage site of Troodos, where cultural landscapes, living traditions and ancestral practices offer rich potential for integrated conservation efforts that benefit local communities towards lasting socio-economic growth.
Most recently, the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus has joined as a technical partner in the READY 2025–2026 training course, “Safeguarding Heritage Collections, Living Traditions and Practices in the Face of Disasters, Extreme Weather Events and Complex Emergencies,” further strengthening our shared commitment to heritage protection.
We thank the Deputy Minister and her delegation for visiting ICCROM and look forward to strengthening even further our solid collaboration to safeguard Cyprus’s cultural heritage for future generations.
