REVISED TERMS OF REFERENCE
OF THE
WORKING GROUP ON CULTURE
The present Terms of Reference of the BSEC Working Group on Culture were agreed upon the Resolution of the 15th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States (Moscow, 1 November 2006) establishing the BSEC Working Group on Culture. The revised version was adopted at the 37th Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Kyiv, on 15 December 2017.
Pursuant to Articles 4 and 12 of the BSEC Charter, the Working Group on Culture is a BSEC Subsidiary Organ and shall carry out its activities in accordance with the following Terms of Reference :
SPECIFIC PROVISIONS
1. PURPOSES/GENERAL OBJECTIVES
The purposes/general objectives of the Working Group are to contribute to the development and strengthening of cultural cooperation among the BSEC Member States, based, inter alia, on:
a) respect for and promotion of the rich cultural heritage of the BSEC Member States;
b) enhancement of intercultural dialogue as means to increase mutual understanding and trust among the peoples of the BSEC region and beyond;
c) identifying and maximizing the cultural potential and the available resources, including human capital, of the BSEC Member States;
d) addressing the challenge to link culture and economy and work with the stakeholders of the cultural and creative activities as well as with the private sector;
e) improvement, through culture, of the quality of life of the peoples in the BSEC region;
f) exploring in a systematic way the potential for developing innovative joint projects in the BSEC region and organizing international cultural events in BSEC Member States that will pave the way for further cultural exchanges among them.
2. MANDATE/TASKS
The mandate of the Working Group is to enhance cooperation in the field of culture among the BSEC Member States, inter alia, by:
a) Encouragement of the harmonization of the legal framework of the BSEC Member States in the field of protection of cultural heritage, in accordance with the relevant international conventions, especially those adopted within the framework of UNESCO and the Council of Europe, to which BSEC Member States are parties;
b) Enhancing cooperation in combating illicit trafficking of cultural property belonging to the archaeological, historical, ethnographical and paleontological heritage and the arts, inter alia through exchange of information to facilitate the return of lost or illegally exported cultural values in compliance with the national legislation of the BSEC Member States and international instruments in force, to which BSEC Member States are parties;
c) Promoting restoration and preservation projects of the architectural heritage on the territory of the BSEC Member States;
d) Establishing an interdisciplinary network of scientists and experts, in order to promote research on the common cultural heritage of the Black Sea Region;
e) Creating a virtual library reflecting the cultural heritage and identity in the Black Sea Region;
f) Building networks of cooperation and developing joint projects in the field of contemporary cultural and artistic creativity (literature, theatre, cinema, dance, music and visual arts);
g) Promoting cultural and creative industries and strengthening the role that they play in the cooperation among the BSEC Member States;
h) Encouraging cultural routes/cultural tourism projects in the Black Sea Region and their implementation;
i) Engagement of youth in related cultural activities and projects.
3. SUBORDINATED BODIES AND RELEVANT EVENTS
The final documents (reports, conclusions, recommendations, summary of the proceedings etc.) of other BSEC events on culture (e.g. seminars, workshops, symposia, conferences), should be submitted for consideration to the Working Group and approval by the Committee of Senior Officials.
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