UNESCO and Red Cross are teaming up to enhance the protection of cultural heritage in the event of an armed conflict.

The new agreement has come as a direct result of the strategy for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism, adopted by UNESCO at its General Conference in November. One of the main objectives of the strategy is to incorporate the protection of culture into humanitarian action, security and the peacebuilding processes.

“As the impartial, neutral and independent keeper of international humanitarian law, the International Committee of the Red Cross is a key partner for UNESCO in emergency situations during which it is of utmost importance to protect cultural heritage as the bearer of peoples’ identity, dignity and resilience”, said UNESCO director-general, Irina Bokova. “This partnership is another testimony to the growing global awareness that protecting cultural heritage is not just a cultural emergency but indeed a humanitarian imperative”.

The recent systematic destruction of cultural heritage has prompted UNESCO to act, reaching this latest agreement and also putting the foundations down for a heritage taskforce after forming a partnership with the Italian government last month.

“The recent large-scale and systematic destruction and looting of cultural heritage sites have highlighted the strong connection between the cultural and humanitarian dimensions of cultural heritage protection,” said a UNESCO statement.

“Attacks against cultural heritage and diversity are also attacks against people, their rights, and their security. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is a war crime. In the face of these unprecedented challenges, there is a need for innovative approaches to build on the existing international legal standards.”