EU General Comment - HRC58 - Cultural rights and the protection of cultural heritage
UN Human Rights Council
58th Session – Item 3
Resolution A/HRC/58/L.4/Rev.1– General Comment
Cultural rights and the protection of cultural heritage
EU General Comment
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU Member States that are members of the Human Rights Council. This general comment has been agreed by the EU as a whole.
We welcome the core group’s initiative to present Resolution L.4/Rev.1 on Cultural rights and the protection of cultural heritage, which requests the High Commissioner to develop appropriate tools for promoting an inclusive approach to digital heritage. This includes the digitization of cultural heritage in a way that promotes universal respect for cultural rights.
The unprecedented opportunities brought by digital technologies are revitalizing cultural heritage sites. Virtual museums enable visitors to experience artworks in context and access objects or sites that would otherwise be inaccessible. Through various projects funded under the Creative Europe and Horizon Europe programmes, the EU and its Member States actively support access to and participation in cultural activities.
We strongly believe that the proposed workshop, which will explore ways to further integrate cultural rights into digitization efforts, is more relevant than ever, as cultural heritage is evolving rapidly thanks to digital technologies.
The EU supports this resolution and hopes for its consensual adoption.
Thank you.