[This event is organised by Europa Nostra, Project Leader of the European Heritage Hub. The following text is the original description provided by the organisers]

The United Nations Development Programme is proud to join forces with the Permanent Delegation of Türkiye to the European Union and Europa Nostra to organise the briefing Rescuing the Endangered Cultural Heritage of Earthquake-hit Region of Türkiye at the University Foundation in Brussels on 7 May 2024. This event is free-of-charge but registration is compulsory. Register here by 3 May 2024.

Speakers:

• Camilla Brückner, Director, UNDP Brussels Representation Office
• H.E. Faruk Kaymakci, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Türkiye to the European Union
• Louisa Vinton, UNDP Resident Representative in Türkiye
• Piet Jaspaert, Vice President, Europa Nostra
• Hatice Pamir, Professor of Archaeology at Hatay Mustafa Kemal Universit

In February 2023, Türkiye was struck by devastating earthquakes that caused 53,537 fatalities and destroyed 313,000 buildings, leaving 3.3 million people homeless across 11 provinces. The earthquake-hit region’s unique cultural heritage also suffered vast losses: 3,752 of 8,444 historical structures were damaged or destroyed.

As part of its recovery efforts after the disaster, UNDP has focused on cultural heritage restoration. Rebuilding this legacy is not just about repairing physical monuments, as crucial as this is to the history of humanity. It is also about reviving assets and identities of cities and the livelihoods that depend on them, through tourism, cuisine and handicrafts.

UNDP is now launching “Save the Legacy”, a campaign aimed at collecting resources to revive both tangible and intangible cultural heritage across the region. The www.savethelegacy.org website has been set up to engage individuals, charities, companies and governments in helping to restore this priceless “mosaic” of cultural diversity and richness.

UNDP is proud to join forces with the Permanent Delegation of Türkiye to the European Union and Europa Nostra, the European voice of civil society committed to safeguarding and promoting cultural and natural heritage, to organise this briefing in Brussels to raise awareness about the still vast recovery needs of the earthquake-affected region.

While UNDP, with advice from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has selected 6 target sites for the crowdfunding campaign, including the Sarımiye Mosque (Hatay) and the Historical Bazaar (Kahramanmaraş) and decided to focus on the region’s impressive intangible cultural heritage, Europa Nostra recently included two sites in the earthquake-devastated Hatay province on its 2024 list of the seven most endangered heritage sites in Europe: the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Georgios in Altınözü and the Iron Gate of Antioch, an 18-metre-high stone structure from the 2nd century AD that towers above Antakya.

The briefing and discussion will be followed by a reception.

Download Invitation (PDF)