The Faro2027 team was present at the ceremony held to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Faro Convention

Celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (known as the Faro Convention) were held on the 27th of October. The Municipality of Faro held a ceremony to mark the occasion, seating the Faro2027 team in the front row due to the objectives and actions defined in the convention coinciding with the Faro European Capital of Culture 2027 application guidelines.
The ceremony took place at Teatro das Figuras, where the convention was signed in 2015, and was attended by Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, who chaired the committee responsible for drafting the document and who considered that the foundations of the Convention of Faro “are still very present”, 15 years later. “The pandemic has opened our eyes as to what matters in society: ethical values and culture. Heritage is here, now, and in these times, we have to realise that culture and heritage are key”.
Also present was the Assistant Secretary of State and Cultural Heritage, Ângela Ferreira, who highlighted the innovative nature of the Faro Convention, at all levels: “This document presents us with a more comprehensive understanding of what heritage is, emphasising not only the importance of preserving it, but also the possibility of heritage as a fundamental instrument that can be used to enhance the quality of life of both people and communities”, adding that “Heritage represents the memory of a people, and the life of those who preceded us, but in addition to this past, it contains something that is present and future, because heritage also feeds in to the development of territories and the enrichment of people. Through heritage, we can feel the presence of those who have come before, while also seeing what we might become in the future. It was thanks to the Faro Convention that this integrated, complete vision of cultural heritage was able to take shape”.
​In these 15th anniversary celebrations, we want to do far more than signal an anniversary. We want to launch ideas that enforce the responsibility the past has placed upon us and ensure that it makes its mark on what is to come.
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​​In these 15th anniversary celebrations, we want to do far more than signal an anniversary. We want to launch ideas that enforce the responsibility the past has placed upon us and ensure that it makes its mark on what is to come.

During the ceremony, the Mayor of Faro, Rogério Bacalhau, also spoke, announcing that the Municipal Council would be holding initiatives that met the aims of the Faro Convention in 2021: “In these 15th anniversary celebrations, we want to do far more than signal an anniversary. We want to launch ideas that enforce the responsibility the past has placed upon us and ensure that it makes its mark on what is to come. The Minister of Culture considered that the semester in which Portugal will hold the Presidency of the European Union (January to June 2021) will be a great time to elevate Portuguese culture in Europe, and that we see this as a challenge we are already working hard to meet head-on.” In her speech, she added that: “This includes extended cooperation with academia and other researchers, so that we are able to reflect on the Europe-wide results achieved through this convention. We intend to implement initiatives that link Faro back to “its” convention in the first half of 2021, spreading the word about it to everyone, in local authorities, schools, public facilities, events, in the streets and communities”, concluding with the statement that “today, we must return to the spirit of the Faro Convention”, specifically the values of tolerance and “exalting the cultural heritage of the European peoples and the values we share”.
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​What is the Faro Convention?
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The Faro Convention, which was signed on the 27th October 2005, emphasises the important aspects of heritage as they relate to human rights and democracy. It promotes a wider, interdisciplinary understanding of heritage and its relationship to society by establishing our rights and responsibilities towards it, with a focus on promoting sustainability, access to and use of digital technology relating to heritage.
Approved on the 18th July 2008 by a resolution adopted by the Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, the Convention entered into force on the 1st June 2011. It lays out the main issues, objectives and fields of action necessary for each signatory state’s progress, making clear the decisive role and added value brought by new generations and contemporary creation. Integrated into our current cultural reality, these additions serve as a historical affirmation of the human race's constant evolution, with objects of heritage contributing to enriching our lives and existence. 
This process of cooperation, in which public policies will be updated and advanced, has, to date, been ratified by 19 member states, and signed by a further six.
It designates the “Common heritage of Europe” as an element that contributes to an open sense of citizenship, in which various feelings of belonging intersect and where a shared source of heritage, remembrance and creativity meet, on a foundational mechanism that promotes monitoring and cooperation and a shared information system. It therefore provides for a culture of peace, in which differences are respected, where cultural heritage is a uniting force leading to cultures being brought closer together, as well as understanding and dialogue. It is with this broad definition of heritage, a focus on heritage communities and the principle of a shared responsibility, that the Convention seeks to implement creative forms of management and development based on the active involvement of society.