EU Statement - HRC58 - Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights
United Nations Human Rights Council
58th session
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
6 March 2025
EU Statement
Mr President,
The European Union would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for presenting her report on digital cultural heritage.
The EU recognises the role of cultural heritage as an important vehicle for democracy and sustainable development by fostering tolerance and mutual understanding. Protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage, as well as promoting respect for cultural diversity, are paramount in fighting disinformation and generating positive dialogue and inclusion.
In line with the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2027, the EU remains committed to promote the respect for cultural rights, ensuring the expression of diversity and cultural identity as well as preservation of cultural heritage. Thanks to the new technologies cultural heritage is evolving rapidly. The momentum is now to bring it to this digital decade.
Advanced digital tools and technologies play an important role to record, document and preserve cultural heritage. Digital transformation and the accessibility of culture and cultural heritage in the digital space can be further advanced.
The European digital cultural platform “Common European data space for cultural heritage” accelerates the digital transformation of the cultural heritage sector by ensuring access to cultural heritage data globally. It is central to the ambitions of the European data strategy that focuses on putting people first.
Madam Special Rapporteur,
How can the digitisation of cultural heritage in all its forms be accelerated further to enable information exchange and ensure innovation remains accessible to all?
Thank you.