Invitation of the member of the Steering Committee of the UNESCO Chair, Dr. Elena Avramidou, to the Andrés Bello University, Santiago, Chile.

On the topic of “Patrimonio Cultural: testimonio del pasado, compromiso con el futuro” (Cultural Heritage: testimony to the past, commitment to the future), the member of the Steering Committee of the UNESCO Chair of the Ionian University, Dr. Elena Avramidou, spoke upon invitation at the Andrés Bello University, in Santiago, Chile, in the context of the activation of the UNESCO Chair on Threats to Cultural Heritage in Latin American countries.

During the event, issues such as what is cultural heritage and to whom does it belong, why and from what should we protect it, who is responsible for its protection, how is it connected to the past and the future, to the identity of peoples, cultural diplomacy and intercultural dialogue were discussed. Particular reference was made to the request for the return of illegally exported cultural goods to their countries of origin, and the cases of Greece, China and Chile were examined.

The public's interest was particularly intense, as in Chile there are 7 monuments inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, 19 nominations for inclusion and 4 inscriptions on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The country's best-known inscribed monuments include the mysterious Moai statues on Easter Island (Rapa Nui in the local dialect), the historic quarter of Valparaíso, the churches on Chiloé Island and the mummies of the Chinchorro culture in the Atacama Desert. These are the oldest mummies in the world, predating the Egyptians by approximately 2,000 years, although some have recently been found in Asia that are considered older.