Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni placed cultural heritage protection at the heart of discussions during the Mondiacult 2025 conference in Barcelona this week, stressing the urgent need to safeguard culture from man-made and natural crises.

In her address to representatives from 160 UNESCO member states, Mendoni said culture was “a human right, a global public good and a foundation for recovery and peace”. She warned that “culture and cultural heritage are almost always the first victims of a crisis, while at the same time they are the last to return to normality in the recovery phase”.

Mondiacult

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni during Mondiacult 2025. Photo: Greek Culture Ministry

Pointing to Greece’s own experience with wildfires, floods, and the pandemic, Mendoni said these prompted the government to develop national preparedness plans, climate risk mapping, and digital documentation projects to help shield cultural assets. A flagship initiative protecting more than 50 major archaeological sites and monuments, she noted, represents a model of interdisciplinary collaboration between Greece’s Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

Mendoni also referred to Greece’s leadership role in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, calling the phenomenon “a crime that endangers cultural memory and fuels organized crime and terrorism”.

On the sidelines of the conference, she raised the issue of the return of the Parthenon Marbles during bilateral meetings with counterparts from Cyprus, India, Jordan, Serbia, Iran, Peru, Croatia, China, and with UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone.

The joint declaration adopted at Mondiacult reaffirmed culture as a cornerstone of peace, justice, and sustainable development. It called for integrating cultural protection into disaster prevention and climate adaptation strategies, building the capacity of professionals and local communities, and strengthening international cooperation to shift from “reaction to prevention”.

Greece joined UNESCO member states in reaffirming their commitment to ensuring that culture is not the first victim of crises, but instead a driver of resilience, recovery, and sustainable progress.

Mondiacult is one of the world’s largest global conferences on cultural policy, bringing together ministers, officials, and experts from UNESCO member states to shape strategies that protect and promote culture worldwide.