On 27 September 2015, the initiative “Protecting Cultural Heritage – An Imperative for Humanity” was presented to the UN by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Italy and Jordan, with the support of UNESCO, INTERPOL, UNODC, and various other Member State ministers. Open to all Member States, international organizations and partners wishing to join, this initiative will act on previous UN resolutions and decisions with the aim to unite international efforts and resources in order to the curb criminal actions of terrorists and traffickers and protect cultural heritage for future generations.
A symposium and discussion on the topic of safeguarding cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria took place 29 September, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to present the most recent findings regarding ISIL’s use of looting antiquities for profit and a new initiative to combat this crisis.
As an international leader in heritage preservation, ICCROM fully supports the initiative presented at the UN and encourages professionals within the field to continue to investigate and share their findings on such urgent matters as the destruction of cultural heritage in armed conflict zones.