International Activities

 

The National Board of Antiquities' international activities include public authority practices, cooperation between different research sectors and project work. International activities are evident in almost all of the National Board of Antiquities' work. The most important international cooperation organisations that the National Board of Antiquities participates in are the Council of the European Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Cooperation regarding the Baltic region's cultural heritage takes a central position. The Nordic cooperation emphasises work carried out by the bodies operating under the Nordic Council of Ministries.  The European Union funds cultural heritage through a number of financial instruments. The most significant of these are the structural funds which help finance numerous programmes such as regional objective programmes and Interreg community initiatives. Within the European Union the National Board of Antiquities operates as the specialist on the Culture 2000 Programme and digitisation. The National Board of Antiquities projects largely utilise the funding possibilities offered by the European Union. The implementation of Global Strategy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Development Cooperation and the Nordic World Heritage Foundation as well as the preparation of Finland's new world heritage sites are emphasised in the National Board of Antiquities' UNESCO World Heritage Committee work. The points of emphasis also include completion of the procedures required by the 1954 Hague Convention as well as the international preparation work for the protection of marine cultural heritage.