I would like to warmly welcome you to the Ancient Civilizations Forum taking place in New York.
I have the honor to be here today representing my country as the Chair of the Ancient Civilizations Forum. Greece, as a founding member of the Ancient Civilizations Forum, remains fully committed to the principles laid out in the Athens Declaration, endorsed in 2017.
I am pleased to see that, since that period, the Forum has evolved into a useful and quite significant platform, focusing on intercultural dialogue and based on the timeless value of the cultural heritage of our ancient civilizations.
This past year the Forum had the opportunity to engage productively in the work of UNESCO, through its interventions on relevant occasions. We see merit in deepening our coordination within the framework of UNESCO as well as the UN institutions, committed to its core values and shared principles, which Greece consistently honors since the beginning.
Greece has been elected as a member of the Subsidiary Committee of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transport of Ownership of Cultural Property, and has submitted its candidacy for the Committee of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict, during the elections taking place in December later this year.
We appreciate the opportunities that the Ancient Civilizations Forum offers: to promote the value of ancient history and creation for the contemporary societies; to demonstrate the interaction between civilization and sustainable growth and development; to reiterate the relevance of the experiences and instruments of the past in our joint efforts to address current multifaceted challenges; to underline the value of a shared future, cultural respect and sensitivity, and cultural pluralism.
In this spirit, it is imperative that we encourage projects involving, inter alia, education and engagement of young people, in an effort to strengthen their willingness to contribute as powerful agents of dynamic change in the years to come.
Greece is looking forward to welcoming you at the Experts Meeting in Athens, in 16-17 October, where we will focus on strengthening multilateral cooperation and developing joint initiatives to address the pressing challenges presented by illicit trafficking of cultural goods and the adverse effects of climate change on cultural heritage, whilst promoting exchange of know-how in the conservation and restoration of monumental heritage by means of modern technologies.
Against this backdrop, I think it is relevant to revert to Greece’s significant role as elected member of the UN Security Council for the period 2025-2026. Amongst the priorities set for our term, let me stress the importance of climate change and its impact on security and peace worldwide. We hope that the upcoming Experts Meeting will contribute to the ongoing international discussions.
Dear friends,
I am honored today to be among you. Above all, because I think this Forum is more than just another International Forum. It is a Forum which is deeply rooted in history, in culture and in shared values. And this is why I think, at these times, the most challenging times in the last 80 years, it is imperative that we stay together, that we produce and echo messages of humanity, messages of cultural unity and, most importantly, messages for the years to come and for future generations.
Thank you all.
September 23, 2025