MEDIA ADVISORY
UNESCO AND ICCROM ORGANIZE TRAINING ON FIRST AID TO CULTURAL HERITAGE IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Bamako, 12 November 2018 – The second International FAC course starts today in Bamako, Mali. It was inaugurated in the presence of Mme Nina Wallet Intallou, Minister of Craft Industries and Tourism of Mali.
The three-week course, from 12-30 November, will train 21 professionals from 18 countries. For the first time, the FAC course will be held in English and French. It will include a special module on using cultural heritage first aid and recovery for conflict transformation. The course team includes eight lecturers from Mali.
WHAT: The First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAC Africa) course is jointly organized by UNESCO and ICCROM in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, the National Museum of Mali (Musée National du Mali), the National Gendarmerie, MINUSMA, the Alioune Blondin Beye School for Peacekeeping (l’Ecole de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye), as well as the NGO SAVAMA-DCI, whose mission is the safeguarding and preservation of the ancient manuscripts of Mali. Based on a methodology developed by ICCROM, the training will provide a framework and ethical guidelines for the protection of cultural heritage in complex emergencies with the aim to promote recovery, peace and risk reduction. An interactive handbook on cultural heritage first aid is now available for free download from: https://www.iccrom.org/publication/first-aid-cultural-heritage-times-cr…. The training, multidisciplinary and mainly practical, will be enriched by the contribution of emergency responders such as the military and humanitarians. Emergency simulations, role plays and group discussions will support the development of relevant skills.
WHO: Course participants are mid-career professionals who are actively involved in protecting cultural heritage and want to broaden their skills. They work in national heritage organizations (departments of antiquities, ministries of culture, commissions for monuments and museums, national museums), architectural firms, archives, libraries, conservation institutes, universities and humanitarian organizations. They represent 18 nationalities from four continents. The course team is composed of professionals with experience in humanitarian assistance, development planning, cultural heritage conservation, disaster risk management, mediation and negotiation. Former course participants are also part of the course team and will share their experiences on how to apply FAC skills in the field.
WHY: The aim of the training course is to create a network of proactive cultural rescuers, who will influence emergency preparedness and response policies and practices at local, national, regional and /or international levels. UNESCO's experience in Mali, notably the reconstruction of the mausoleums and the safeguarding of the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu, and thanks to the successes of cultural heritage rehabilitation and humanitarian recovery, will provide a central case study and be of undeniable added value to the training.
Interview opportunities:
Fane Yamoussa, Technical Advisor and focal point to the FAC; Ali Daou, Programme Specialist for Culture, UNESCO-Bamako; Léonie Evers, Focal Point for Armed Conflict, Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit, UNESCO Headquarters; Baba Keita, Local course coordinator, UNESCO; Aparna Tandon, Project Manager and FAC programme leader, ICCROM; Rohit Jigyasu; Programme Officer, ICCROM-Sharjah.
Partner organizations include UNESCO, Bamako Office; Ministry of Culture of Mali; National Museum of Mali; SAVAMA-DCI; United Nations Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Member-States represented: Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Zambia
Non Member-State: Bhutan, Comoros
The FAC training course will take place from 12 to 30 November 2018 at l’Ecole de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye in Bamako, Mali.
For more information contact Clarisse Njikam, (ph) 66 75 69 76 / 74 41 97 86 or (email) pc.njikam@unesco.org or Aparna Tandon, aparna.tandon@iccrom.org