The role of the private sector in fostering local identity and culture: emergency preparedness, relief and reconstruction

The event aims to highlight the private sector’s potential contribution to the preservation and strengthening of local identity and cultural heritage, from emergency preparedness through to relief and reconstruction efforts in crisis zones, achieving inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability. Cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) are directly tied to local and/or national identity and subsequently to social cohesion and resilience and can become important tools during humanitarian crisis. The event aims to launch public discourse on the challenges and the perspectives of integrating culture and cultural heritage into emergency response systems and humanitarian aid policies, within the context of the humanitarian/development/peace nexus. The potential leading role of the private sector, in close collaboration with civil society organisations and public institutions, will be examined. The experience gained in various regions by the leading organizations in this field will also be shared with participants during this Talk.