American Battle Monuments Commission and Office National des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre (ONAC-VG) to co-host the annual meeting of the European Contact Group in Paris
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press release
American Battle Monuments Commission and Office National des Anciens Combattants et Victimes de Guerre (ONAC-VG) to co-host the annual meeting of the European Contact Group in Paris
ARLINGTON, Va. (Oct. 12, 2023) — The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and its French counterpart the ONAC-VG, will co-host the annual meeting of the European Contact Group meeting in Paris from Oct. 13-15, 2023. The nine international peer agencies that honor fallen military members will meet to share information of common interest and future plans. This year’s meeting will also focus on a discussion of their respective ceremonial events.
The European Contact Group includes the ABMC’s counterpart organizations such as the War Heritage Institute in Belgium, Office National des Anciens Combattants et des Victimes de Guerre (ONAC-VG) in France, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. in Germany, the Commonwealth War Grave Commission in the United Kingdom, and the Oorlogsgravenstichting in Netherlands, as well as other war grave commissions from Austria, Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary.
This year, the European Contact Group agenda and meeting schedule has been organized and hosted by ONAC-VG. ABMC will co-host two events: the welcome reception and a visit of Suresnes American Cemetery. This year’s primary theme is “Ceremonial Events”. ABMC will take this opportunity to echo a year’s worth of centennial commemorations hosted by the ABMC in 2023 as well as next year’s main events, the 80th anniversary of the landings in Italy and France, and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
“Networking sessions and discussions with our European partners are very valuable. They allow us to compare best practices and to learn from each other regarding how to address our changing audiences,” says ABMC Executive Director for Operations Ed Ryan. “This type of cooperation between organizations enhances the ABMC’s mission capabilities. It creates discussion with other agencies from our sector and allows us to share innovative ways to tell the stories of the servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”
In addition to the activities hosted by the ABMC, the European Contact Group will attend workshops and working sessions as well as visits to iconic French military memorial sites in Paris.
For more information about ABMC, please visit our website abmc.gov or our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
For more information or if there are further questions, please contact:
Hélène Chaulin
Cell: +33 (0) 1 40 75 27 55
Email: chaulinh@abmc.gov
About American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC):
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 31 federal memorials, monuments, and commemorative plaques in 17 countries throughout the world, including the United States. The four memorials in the United States are: the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.; the Honolulu memorial located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii; the West Coast Memorial located within the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, Calif; and the East Coast Memorial located within Battery City Park in New York, N.Y. Since March 4, 1923, ABMC’s sacred mission remains to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at our sites. For more information about ABMC, visit abmc.gov.