$100m fund to protect heritage sites in war zones
The conference was spurred by the systematic destruction and looting of archaeological treasures in Iraq and Syria by the Daesh group.
Representatives of around 40 countries have approved plans to establish a fund to protect heritage sites in war zones and a network of safe havens for endangered artworks.
The Abu Dhabi Declaration is in support of the global mandate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts.
It was adopted at the end of the two-day Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Conference that was a joint initiative of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and French President Francois Hollande.
The conference was spurred by the systematic destruction and looting of archaeological treasures in Iraq and Syria by the Daesh group.
The Geneva-based fund will be charged with safeguarding cultural heritage endangered by conflict, financing preventive and emergency operations, combating the illicit trafficking of artefacts and helping restore damaged cultural property.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the conference. Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Irina Bokova, Director-General of Unesco, were among the other dignitaries present.
Threat from terrorist groups
Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed said that now more than ever, cultural heritage is deeply threatened by terrorist groups and illicit trafficking. "Terrorist groups aim to eradicate cultural heritage, going against human nature and human conduct."
Shaikh Mohammed pointed out that a global cooperation is thus required to overcome the ongoing attempts to destroy the foundation of ancient civilisation.
He highlighted that the threatening attacks are not only looting heritage, but also weakening the foundations of people's identities, and thus attempting to erase their nation's memories, while compromising their future.
Shaikh Mohammed reaffirmed UAE's determination to protect endangered cultural sites against destruction and trafficking.
Collective responsibility
"We need collective responsibilities from countries around the world. The UAE hosted this conference as part of its civilisation and vision on the protection of humankind.
"We call on all countries to combat the attacks on monuments and trafficking of cultural heritage, which are part of civilisation, particularly the ones we have seen in recent times in the Middle East," added Shaikh Mohammed.
He described the UAE's hosting of this conference as "part of our long-standing policy of paying close attention to all issues of interest to humanity as a whole."
Highlighting the UAE's significant contribution to protecting human cultural heritage, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said: "We have also done our part by putting our own culture and heritage at the forefront of our attention. We have passed laws that are aimed at protecting and preserving our cultural heritage and collective memory. We, in the UAE, realise that our national heritage, which has been taking shape over millennia, is an integral part of our identity and who we are.
"We realise that our heritage is a key part of our national mosaic that we continue to build and enhance as we venture into the future; because it is our heritage that fuels the hearts and minds of our young as they make their way into the future. We also realise that preserving our own heritage helps enrich human culture and heritage as a whole. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all of us towards future generations to protect our common heritage which will help make their world a richer one," Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed added.
France is to contribute around $30 million to the fund. "Our objective is to collect at least $100 million, and we can reach this," Hollande said.
Unesco director Irina Bokova said: "The creation of this fund breaks new ground.... I see this as the starting point of something... global."
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.
The Abu Dhabi Declaration
"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.
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."
Long-term goals to protect cultural 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.
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