I Conference Culture and Heritage at War
Pati Manning (CERC de la Diputació de Barcelona)
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
