UCL partners with advocacy NGO in Cyprus to help protect the country’s rich cultural heritage

Dr Mark Altaweel from the Faculty of Social & Historical Sciences is joining forces with non-governmental organisation Walk of Truth to help protect and promote Cyprus’ rich heritage.

UCL and Walk of Truth will be coming together to run courses and share the latest technologies and ideas, to help organisations in Cyprus protect their cultural heritage.

“We will be sharing some of the latest artificial intelligence tools, for example, to help the Government of Cyprus better monitor antiquities sales online, and running training with them on how to promote, and better look after, their cultural sites.

“The world’s cultural heritage faces growing threats from war, terrorism and crime, with many other economic, social and environmental issues also coming into play.

“Ancient monuments are being destroyed, antiquities stolen, languages lost. If we want to retain the rich heritage that exists in many countries, we need to find better ways to protect it,” explains Dr Mark Altaweel.

The work is being organised through a new social enterprise, set up as a partnership between UCL and Walk of Truth, an NGO involved in cultural heritage advocacy work. The work will be centred initially on the Mediterranean basin, with plans to expand into other parts of Europe and Britain after that.

“We are excited to see far how we can develop this activity and make it self sustaining, so that locals in each country can be empowered with the tools they need to promote and protect their monuments, buildings, languages and customs.”