First conference of Mediterranean culture ministers in Naples

The first Conference of Mediterranean Ministers of Culture began yesterday in Naples, with more than 40 government delegations from 25 countries participating at the Royal Palace to discuss the shared protection of cultural heritage, the contribution of culture to the green transition, and combating trafficking in cultural goods. The aim is to develop joint strategies and actions to protect and enhance culture as a common good in the Euro-Mediterranean region and to launch a “Naples Initiative” for cultural collaboration in the Mediterranean.

There are three sessions of the proceedings: the first on Culture, a resource for peace and security; the second on Culture, an engine and enabler for sustainable development and green transition; and the third on Culture, a world in transition. The summit aims to elevate cultural diplomacy in a region crucial to global balances as a strategic priority, and to develop actions to protect and promote culture in the Euro-Mediterranean region as a tool for peace, dialogue and innovation, through the Naples Initiative for Cultural Collaboration in the Mediterranean. The conclusions of the two-day event will be outlined by Minister Franceschini during the final press conference to be held today, June 17, at 4:30 p.m. in the Court Theater of the Royal Palace.

For the conference, there will also be aguide-work, created by Mario Cresci, a pivotal figure in the history of Italian photography, especially for the critical, experimental and multidisciplinary approach of his incessant visual research. Inside the Royal Palace, the exhibition L’oro del tempo (The Gold of Time), curated by all’ICCD - Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione del MiC, was thus set up, displaying works from the artist residency that Mario Cresci himself held at the ICCD. In addition, on the occasion of the summit, the Navy ship Palinuro, which is hosting on board the documentary exhibition entitled Stories of epidemics between land and sea in archival papers, will be moored in the Gulf of Naples, in front of the Royal Palace.

The first interventions

The international delegates were welcomed by Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, who at the opening of the proceedings read the message with which Prime Minister Mario Draghi wished the works every success. “I am very happy to send my greetings on the occasion of the first ministerial meeting on culture of the EU-South Partnership for the Mediterranean region,” Draghi said. “I would like to thank Minister Franceschini for organizing this event. The adoption of the Rome Declaration at the G20 Culture Ministers’ meeting in Rome last July underscored the importance of arts and cultural activities in helping our countries recover after the pandemic. He reaffirmed their value for human life, social inclusion and development. Dialogue between different cultures is more important than ever at this time in history of increasing international tensions. Today’s event provides an opportunity to reflect on how to transform the Mediterranean into a laboratory for peace and prosperity at the heart of Europe. Support for cultural policies is crucial if we are to strengthen creative industries across the region, create new jobs and protect our common heritage. Today may mark the beginning of a new process of cultural collaboration under the Southern Partnership of the Union for the Mediterranean. I wish you all the best for these two days of meetings.”

Minister Franceschini stressed in his speech, “Cultural collaboration among all countries in the Euro-Mediterranean area is essential to fulfill the historic mission of European construction. The Mediterranean is a junction marked by centuries of exchanges and reactions between the different shores, a context in which as many as three continents overlook and meet. I am convinced that Europe can find its clearest, most eloquent and most meaningful voice in a dialogue that embraces all these places and starts from culture. To make this journey together, we need to increase the circulation of talent and cultural professionals, commit together to the protection of cultural heritage, and take up the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital traditions. Naples is the ideal setting from which to start this journey.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, then spoke, recalling how “for the European Union, culture is an essential element, first and foremost, in order to become more aware of itself, its means, its goals and values, and to reposition itself accordingly in a world undergoing profound transformation. It is, moreover, an important compass for bringing the shores of the Mediterranean, a historic crossroads and place of synthesis between different civilizations, closer together. In this perspective, culture has increasingly become, especially during the last decade, an essential and substantial component of European action and policies.”

Space also for the Curator of the 59th Venice Biennale Art Exhibition, Cecilia Alemani: “The experience of beauty is not based on recognizing a form but rather on recognizing oneself as part of a community that shares the same tastes, values and traditions. Art, as the beloved Mediterranean Sea, is a connective tissue, the place where individuality becomes collectivity.”

Sessions are scheduled for the morning and afternoon today.

First conference of Mediterranean culture ministers in Naples

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