I Conference Culture and Heritage at War
Pati Manning (CERC de la Diputació de Barcelona)
Download the programme
The constitution of the United Nations and multilateralism opened the doors to dialogue between countries to build a better future. The 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict opened a new stage that, with the support of UNESCO, advanced to consider cultural heritage as an asset of humanity.
Despite this reference in international law, unfortunately, some violations stand out, such as in the Balkan conflict (1991), the Bamiyan Buddhas (2001), the Iraq war (2003) or the Syrian civil war (2011), among other infractions. These events have mobilized global awareness of the need for effective heritage protection in the event of armed conflicts. Led by UNESCO, which at the 2015 Conference reinforced its action in this field with a new strategy of international cooperation between states, to prevent the material destruction and the denunciation of the illegitimate trafficking of works of art.
At present, the war in Ukraine shows us the lack of respect for cultural heritage and infrastructures, which obliges us to update our thinking on the subject and to encourage greater involvement of cultural agents in the protection of world heritage as a sign of solidarity.
Within this framework, this first conference is convened with the following objectives:
- To emphasize the importance of the defence of human and cultural rights in current war conflicts.
- To recall international conventions and agreements related to the deliberate destruction of culture as a weapon of war.
- To reflect on the commitment of the international community.
- To encourage international solidarity for the cultural reconstruction of countries that have suffered war or conflict.
– Check the dossier “Protect cultural property in the event of armed conflict” published by UNESCO.
MORNING
10-10.30 am Inauguration.
With the participation of:
– Narcís Serra, vice-president of the Pau Casals Foundation.
– Joan Fuster-Sobrepere, co-director of the Chair and director of the UOC’s Arts and Humanities department.
– Jordi Pardo, director of the Pau Casals Foundation.
10.30 -11:15 am Speech 1
– “The importance of protecting cultural heritage in contemporary armed conflicts”. By Jan Hladík, former secretary of the 1954 Convention.
– Presentation by Alfons Martinell, co-director of the Chair.
11.15 – 12 am Speech 2
– “Cultural Rights and intentional destruction of Heritage.” By Jesús Prieto de Pedro, professor emeritus of the UNED specialize in cultural law.
– Presentation by Alfons Martinell, co-director of the Chair.
12 -12.30 am Coffee break
12.30-2 pm Round Table 1: “Destruction of heritage in war”.
– Presented and moderated by Jordi Pardo, director of the Pau Casals Foundation.
– Isber Sabrine, Syrian archaeologist and president of “Heritage for peace.”
– Gloria Munilla, Professor of Historical and Archaeological Heritage at the UOC.
– Jan Hladík, former secretary of the 1954 Convention
2-4pm Lunch on your own
AFTERNOON
4 -5.30 pm Round Table 2: “Destruction and resistance of cultural rights in war”.
– Presented and moderated by Joan Fuster-Sobrepere, co-director of the Chair.
– Ricard San Vicente, professor of Slavic philology at the University of Barcelona.
– Jordi Pascual, UCLG culture coordinator and specialist in cultural rights.
– Jesús Prieto de Pedro, professor emeritus of the UNED specialize in cultural law.
5.30 pm Closing
– By Alfons Martinell, co-director of the Chair.
Conference in Spanish and English with simultaneous translation service
Download the programme: Conference Culture and heritage at war
Summary of the conclusions
The conference held on October 27, 2022, sought to highlight the importance of the defence of human and cultural rights in current armed conflicts and to bring to light the conventions, declarations and international law related to the deliberate destruction of culture as a weapon of war. Throughout the presentations and discussions, various contributions to be considered were expressed.
The need to relate the intentional destruction of heritage to cultural rights was raised, in accordance with the report of the United Nations expert. We must bear in mind that war also destroys the cultural life of the population who cannot exercise their right to participate freely. In some cases, conflict can descend into a kind of cultural cleansing, attempting to deny the values of the other with little respect for diversity.
The defence of cultural rights and the cultural dimension of human rights as a whole, in these war contexts, is considered a necessary approach, as well as the relationship with the 2030 Agenda, which in its SDG 16 proposes to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, and access to justice for all.
The different interventions proposed a vision of integral cultural heritage, understood as the conjunction of immovable, intangible and natural heritage, according to the latest definitions, and respect for cultural diversity. This perspective recognizes that the cultural destruction of war goes beyond historic buildings and affects the proper functioning of facilities, events, festivals and cultural traditions and the organization of collective cultural life.
In view of the situation we are living, in Ukraine, but also in other places, it is considered essential to give visibility to the destruction of cultural heritage by trying to get the media to echo these aspects that are often hidden.
We propose that the different cultural agents and actors mobilize for the dissemination and commitment to this cause and respect for other cultures. And that the different cultural spheres and expressive languages contribute with their visions and representations of this global conflict.
Encourage international solidarity for the cultural reconstruction of countries that have suffered war or conflict through international development cooperation agencies. Study the possibility of creating specific aid funds (such as humanitarian aid) for emergency and prevention purposes and for the protection of personnel defending the heritage.
Maintain constant observation of the realities in which these rights are violated in order to communicate them in general and to complement media reports with data on the impact of wars on culture. In the same way, we should encourage the collection of information and documentation on the effects of the war on cultural heritage as an exercise of memory and for future processes.
Presentation by Isber Sabrine, Syrian archaeologist president of Heritage for peace
Presentation by Glòria Munilla, Professor of Historical and Archaeological Heritage at the UOC
Dossier “Protect cultural property in the event of armed conflicts” elaborat per la UNESCO
