COPEAM: the Mediterranean media united for the promotion of cultural heritage

The 25th Conference of COPEAM held in Calvià (Mallorca) - devoted to the promotion of cultural heritage through the media and included among the activities of the European Year of Cultural Heritage - closed on May 12th.

Following a first day dedicated to COPEAM thematic Commissions and their projects and initiatives (COPEAM Commissions proposals), the conference continued with two plenary sessions run by prominent personalities.

Digital platforms such as Europeana or the website on the memory of the Arab world developed by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina are just examples of the use of new technologies to promote access to the history, art and culture of the Euro-Mediterranean region, on which part of the plenary sessions focused on.

The success of the #unite4heritage campaign promoted by UNESCO, especially following the attacks in Syria and Iraq to extraordinary monuments, has shown the growing commitment of civil society to the preservation of our common heritage.

Experts from the sector have pointed out the economic value that a strategy aimed at the promotion of cultural heritage may produce, becoming a tool for development and employment. In this context, the cultural and creative industry, including the media, plays a key role in translating the "past" into audiovisual content able to attract today's audiences and become, in itself, the memory of tomorrow.

During the 24th General Assembly, the executive bodies of the Association were renewed, with the entry of the Jordan Media City and the Egyptian National Media Authority. The Presidency for a two-year term was entrusted to Mr. Kazimir Bačić, Director General of HRT/Croatia (Steering Committee of COPEAM 2018/2020).

At the end of the meeting, COPEAM members unanimously adopted a resolution proposing joint actions for the enhancement of cultural - tangible and intangible - heritage, through radio and TV programmes.

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