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Director-General presents UNESCO 70th Anniversary Medal to Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler |
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The ceremony took place at the Segundo Cabo Palace, an emblematic baroque building in Havana’s Historic Centre, recently restored thanks to the cooperation between the Office of the City Historian, the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union.
21 September 2015/ UNESCO Havana
On Friday, 18 September, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova presented the Historian of Havana, Dr Eusebio Leal Spengler, with the UNESCO 70th Anniversary Medal.
In the award ceremony, Bokova recognised the sustained work of Dr Leal and his team of collaborators, who have contributed to the conservation of Havana’s historic centre, inscribed, together with its system of fortifications, on the World Heritage List since 1982.
“You are a symbolic vector of knowledge, a bridge that connects countries through dialogue so we can know each other better and resolve our conflicts. You are a symbol for UNESCO, an enlightened humanist, a man of our time,” said the Director-General to the outstanding Cuban intellectual before thanking him for all he has done and for all that remains to be done.
Dr Leal expressed his appreciation to UNESCO for the tribute received, and recalled the founder of the Office of the Historian, Dr Emilio Roig, and all those who have contributed to recover the memory of a city that will soon celebrate its 500th anniversary.
“This award is not for me. I place this piece of silver with its UNESCO inscription, at the feet of my beloved country, Cuba, my homeland, and at the feet of our America, so in need of social justice, real equality, the dream of what is possible and impossible”, he declared.
Also present at the ceremony were the Cuban Minister of Culture, Julián González Toledo; the Minister of Education, Ena Elsa Velázquez; the President of the National Cultural Heritage Council, Gladys Collazo; the Rector of the University of Havana, Gustavo Cobreiro; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations of Cuba, Abelardo Moreno; the President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO, Juan Antonio Fernández; the Assistant Director-General for Culture, Alfredo Pérez de Armiñán, the Officer in charge of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, Fernando Brugman, members of the diplomatic corps and non-governmental organisations accredited to Cuba, among other personalities.
Speech delivered by UNESCO Director-General (SPANISH)
Related news (SPANISH):
Recibe Eusebio Leal medalla conmemorativa por los 70 años de la Unesco
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Related Link(s): Tangible Heritage, World Heritage, Cultural Policies, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
, Culture and Development |
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