Cultural Diplomacy: France, UAE, UNESCO, Aga Khan, 40 nation states, international organizations and museums bring synergy at Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage conference with the Abu Dhabi Declaration

On 3 December, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, delivered concluding remarks at the International Conference for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas, organized at the initiative and in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and the President of France, Francois Hollande.

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, Imam and head of the Ismaili Muslims was also in attendance.

This Conference, held under the patronage of UNESCO, took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, bringing together heads of States and Ministers from over 40 countries, as well as representatives from international organizations and museums.

The Abu Dhabi declaration on the protection of endangered heritage endorses the creation of a new International Fund for the Protection of Heritage, with an initial contribution by France of USD 30 Million dollars and the objective to collect USD 100 million.

“This Fund will provide much needed resources to protect heritage under attack, and will be managed in close coordination with UNESCO, in respect of UNESCO Cultural Conventions and International Norms,” said President Hollande.

“One year ago, we adopted the Paris Climate Agreement at the Cop 21, for the preservation of our planet and for future generations. Today we adopt this Abu Dhabi declaration, with concrete measures and new tools to protect the legacy of our ancestors. This is a call to action, as there is no greater responsibility than that of building bridges between the past and the future of humanity,” he continued.

“Over the past recent years, we have built a new cultural landscape, a new approach for the protection of heritage as a key security issue,” stated Irina Bokova.

“This initiative and the creation of this Fund break new ground. It sends a powerful signal of hope and I see this as the starting point of something larger – a new commitment for culture, education, human dignity,” said the Director-General, highlighting also the Organization’s recent achievements in Mali and other countries as well as the importance of coordinated approach for the safeguarding of heritage.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed recalled the importance of culture to build resilient societies: “the world has a shared responsibility for protecting human cultural heritage”. He called on all participants to strengthen commitment against illicit trafficking of cultural property, which is weakening identities and contributes to the financing of terrorism.

Participants at the Conference included H.H. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of Kuwait; Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi; Afghan President Ashraf Ghani; Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita; Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya Fayez al-Sarraj; Senegalese Prime Minister Mohammed Abdallah Dionne; Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras; Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn; Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi; Prince Aga Khan, head of the Ismailis.

Discover, Explore and Learn more via:

• UNESCO | In Abu Dhabi, UNESCO Director-General calls for renewed commitment to protect heritage under attack
• Elysee – Présidence de la République française| Conférence internationale sur la protection du patrimoine culturel en péril => International Conference on the Protection of Cultural Heritage
• UNESCO | Director-General opens Conference for Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas in Abu Dhabi

 

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Research, Insight & Perspective by A. Maherali

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The Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Conference

The Abu Dhabi Declaration

The following is the full text of the Abu Dhabi Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage conference:

“As a mirror of mankind, a guardian of our collective memory and a witness to the extraordinary creative spirit of humanity, world cultural heritage represents the foundation of our common future.

Today, armed conflicts and terrorism, across all continents are affecting millions of men and women, without sparing their centuries-old heritage. Extremists violently – and often deliberately – attack the cultures of the countries of the people they devastate, seeking to destroy the heritage which belongs to us all.
Threatening, attacking, destroying, and looting heritage represents a strategy to weaken the very foundations of the identity of peoples, their history, and the environment in which they build their lives. Without this heritage, their memory is erased and their future is compromised.

Heritage, in all its diversity, is a source of collective wealth that encourages dialogue. It is a vehicle for closer relations, tolerance, freedom, and respect. Its destruction is a threat to peace, as is the illicit trafficking of cultural property that often emerges in times of crisis.

Therefore, as Heads of States and Governments, and their Representatives, International Organisations and Private Institutions, we are gathered here, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to reaffirm our common determination to safeguard the endangered cultural heritage of all peoples, against its destruction and illicit trafficking. We have decided to collectively join forces.

We commend the call made by the Director-General of UNESCO and express support for the Global Coalition “Unite for Heritage,” launched to protect our shared heritage from destruction and trafficking. We welcome the “Strategy for the Reinforcement of UNESCO’s Actions for the Protection of Culture and Promotion of Cultural Pluralism in the Event of Armed Conflict.”

We need to ensure respect for universal values, in line with the international conventions of The Hague of 1899, 1907, 1954, and the latter 1954 and 1999 Protocols, which require us to protect human life, as well as cultural property in times of armed conflict. This process has to be carried out in close liaison with UNESCO, which has worked tirelessly since 1954 to protect heritage, to combat illicit trafficking, and to promote culture as an instrument to bring people closer together and foster dialogue.

In the spirit of universality and the principles of the UNESCO conventions, we are committed to pursuing two ambitious, long term, goals to guarantee the further mobilisation of the international community for the safeguarding of heritage:

• The creation of an international fund for the protection of endangered cultural heritage in armed conflict, which would help finance preventive and emergency operations, fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural artefacts, as well as contribute to the restoration of damaged cultural property.
• The creation of an international network of safe havens to temporarily safeguard cultural property endangered by armed conflicts or terrorism on their own territory, or if they cannot be secured at a national level, in a neighbouring country, or as a last resort, in another country, in accordance with international law at the request of the governments concerned, and taking into account the national and regional characteristics and contexts of cultural property to be protected.

At this conference, we, as Heads of States and Governments, and their Representatives, International Organisations and Private Institutions unite for heritage in support of international efforts to safeguard cultural heritage threatened by armed conflicts and terrorism. A follow up conference in 2017 will help assess the implementation of the initiatives launched in Abu Dhabi and the first projects financed by the international fund.

“We recognise the eminent role of the United Nations and its institutions, and particularly of UNESCO, as the only UN organisation mandated for the protection of culture, and call upon the United Nations Security Council to support us in achieving these goals, in full accordance with the United Nations Charter.”