60 years working for culture
and peace

Ln 2nd November last UNESCO landed in Valencia to commemorate its 60 years working towards peace building worldwide. The Conference Centre was the venue in which this prestigious institution carried out two of the conferences organised on the occasion of its 60th anniversary: The Said Congress , dedicated to the figure of Palestinian intell ectual Edward Said ,and the 16th International Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration Conference. Thus,UNESCO commemorated the 60th anniversary ofits Constitution coming into effect on 4 November 1946 with the Valencia events and other activities carried out in its Paris headquarters. The celebration included the presence of major academic personalities.

The congress dedicated to the figure of Palestine- born US intellectual Edward Said (1935 – 2003) was attended by professors, academics and diplomats from the USA as well as Arab and Southern European countries whose debates focused on Said´s life and works . The Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration Conference was attended by approximately 500 participants. It was organised by the Department of Conservation and Restoration of the Fine Arts Faculty and the School of Architecture , both belonging to Valencia Polytechnic University (UPV). This is the second time the conference is held in Valencia and its organising committee was headed by Professor Pilar Roig, Head of the UPV Restoration Department . The conference included various meetings where restoration and conserva ti on specialists exchanged knowled ge and experiences . A total of twenty outstanding lecturers participated in the conference, which also included el even working groups . Some of the major restoration specialists who attended this international event held at the Conference Centre were Pinnin Brambilla Barcilo, Director of the Turin La Venaria Reale Restoration Centre laboratories responsible for the restoration of Leonardo Da Vinci´s Last Supper, and Gianluigi Colalucci, former head of the Vatican Museums Restoration Labora tories who was responsible for the restoration of the Six tine Chapel paintings and has been awarded an Honoris Causa doctorate by Valencia Polytechnic University.