The International Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Conference in Abu Dhabi announced the creation of a fund to protect endangered cultural heritage from the destructive results of armed conflicts.
Organised by UNESCO, the conference brought together representatives from more than 40 countries affected by heritage loss due to conflict, as well as experts in world heritage preservation. It announced the creation of an international fund for the protection of endangered cultural heritage in armed conflicts.
The fund aims to raise $100 million and will help finance preventive and emergency operations, fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural artefacts, and contribute to the restoration of damaged cultural property.
UNESCO’s global mandate is to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, said: ‘Over the past years, together we have built a new landscape, a new approach for the protection of heritage, bringing together partners far outside the ‘culture box’ against the deliberate destruction of heritage as a war crime and a key security issue.
‘The creation of this Fund breaks new ground and I see this as the starting point of something larger – a renewed commitment for culture, education, human dignity, where the protection of heritage is part and parcel of a global strategy against hatred and extremism, to build lasting foundations for peace.’
