The Center for Ethics in Public Affairs (ETICA) at AUA, in partnership with the New York University Global Institute for Advanced Study, the Armenian Society of Fellows, and the AUA Turpanjian Institute of Social Sciences, hosted an international conference on June 29-30. The conference explored foundational questions regarding the place, significance, and nature of national identity in a world facing a multitude of enduring and emerging challenges and uncertainties. Within that framework, over 40 Armenian heritage organizations gathered in Yerevan for a landmark Forum organized by SIREH Center for the Study, Preservation, and Enhancement of Armenian Cultural Heritage, in the framework of the EU-funded European Heritage Hub pilot project led by Europa Nostra. The event aimed to foster dialogue between Armenian civil society and leading international heritage institutions — setting the stage for an even higher level of cooperation. The Executive President of Europa Nostra Hermann Parzinger who was attending the Forum, announced the upcoming Memorandum of Understanding with SIREH, which would pave the way for the creation of a European Heritage Hub focal point in Armenia focusing on heritage in conflict areas and dissonant heritage. The anticipated Hub would be a strategic outpost within the broader European network — a way to connect local actors to international expertise and advance a shared vision for heritage protection in regions facing conflict. The Forum also marked the conclusion and presentation of a wide mapping of over 100 heritage-focused civil society organizations across Armenia and beyond, identifying key challenges and opportunities for capacity-building, funding, and international networking. The study used a mix of desk research, direct outreach, snowball sampling, structured questionnaires, and interviews. A full report and set of recommendations will be published in the coming weeks.

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