The conference “Human Rights and Cultural Heritage” was held under the auspices of the National Commission for UNESCO, with the participation of the Ministry of Culture, the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy and the Association for Cultural Tourism (organiser).

The Conference is a new manifestation of the scientific network Heritage: ESPRIT, which was set with the realised in 2008 project “Cultural Heritage: Education – Science – Preservation – Integrated in Tourism”, selected in a competition of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science, with the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy as a leading organisation.

The Conference was held on 27 November 2009 at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was celebrated in 2008. The Conference was opened by the Rector of UACEG Assoc. Prof. eng. Dobrin Denev, PhD. The participants were welcomed also by the Deputy-minister of culture Todor Chobanov, PhD. A greeting speech on behalf of the Secretary-general of the National Commission for UNESCO Mr. Aleksandar Savov was presented by Mrs. Violeta Tsankova.

The aim of the Conference was to put a series of current practical questions, concerning the future of cultural heritage in Bulgaria. Representatives of the cooperation network Heritage: ESPRIT took active participation. The presentations and discussions emphasised the significance of the ICOMOS Stockholm Declaration (1998) for the human rights of cultural heritage and of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (2005), which stresses on the link between the “rights of cultural heritage” and the responsibilities of man, societies, institutions and states concerning the heritage, as well as on the necessity of integrated policies for ensuring the balance of rights and responsibilities.

In the first part of the Conference were presented various topics, concerning different aspects of rights and responsibilities related to cultural heritage, of significant importance for the legislative and management practices in this field in Bulgaria. The presentations evoked a fruitful discussion in the second part of the Conference. As a result, the participants – experts in various fields, representatives of different institutions and many students – adopted a Final document of the Conference, addressing the central and local authorities, institutions and civic sector.