LIBYA - LEPTIS MAGNA (c) Hafed Walda
Geneva - Increasingly, cultural heritage is being threatened by conflicts, the impact of climate change, and natural disasters. This growing phenomenon has been illustrated in recent months by the wars in Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza; floods in Yemen and Niger; and the earthquake in Myanmar. At the same time, because cultural heritage is a powerful tool that links the past to the future and connects communities, it can play an important role in reconciliation, political stabilization, and sustainable development processes. Yet, its potential as an instrument to build peace remains underacknowledged in international crisis-management and post-crisis policies.
To address this gap, ALIPH is organizing the first international conference on the nexus of cultural heritage protection, humanitarian action, development aid, and stabilization efforts. From 6 to 7 May 2025 in Geneva at Villa Barton, participants will compare crisis response efforts in these sectors and seek to identify more integrated and better-coordinated approaches.
It will also mark the launch, on 5 May at 17:00, of an ALIPH photo exhibition at the Rotonde du Mont-Blanc, entitled “Portraits of Women – Beyond the Stones.” This exhibit presents portraits of a dozen women cultural-heritage professionals working in conflict and crisis zones, honoring their on-the-ground efforts while showing how preserving these testimonies strengthens community resilience and safeguards our shared humanity. The exhibition will remain open and free to the public until 1 June.
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