Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March –6th of March 2016 Haganum Model United Nations Gymnasium Haganum, The Hague
Research Reports GA 3
PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE IN
TIMES OF WAR
4th, 5th and 6th of March 2016
Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 Forum:
General Assembly 3 Issue:
Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of War Student Officer:
Neil Plummer Position:
Deputy Chair Introduction
The
Temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra being blown up by ISIL in July or August 2015. No one has the right to destroy another’s cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is an
essential thing for a culture or a country as it gives them an identity. If famous and/or
important buildings, landscapes or artifacts are damaged or destroyed, the history it holds is
lost and can never be recovered. Due to this the culture or country in question will suffer
greatly and may resent the person or people who damaged the important feature indefinitely.
2 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 This could lead to conflicts and even bloodier wars. Which is why it is incredibly important to
protect these valuable and irreplaceable things. However some countries or parties have previously taken advantage of a country’s
time of temporary weakness and destroyed an important part of its history, such as the
partial destruction of the Summer Palace close to Beijing, China by French and British forces
during the 1860’s (it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 to protect it from
anymore potential threats). Another example is the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991, where
Croatian Separatists defended the historic city from Yugoslavian forces. Dubrovnik is famous
for having recorded the Mediterranean sea since the 13th century and for keeping the
records in a library. The city was however bombed by the Yugoslavs and damaged 56% of
the buildings in the city. Definition of Key Terms Cultural Heritage Cultural Heritage can be placed into three categories: Built Environment, Natural
Environment and Artifacts. Built Environment include things like buildings, towns,
cities and ruins. They are man-made structures. Natural environment include things
like landscapes, coasts, rivers and agricultural heritage, these are natural geographic
features. Artifacts include things like books, documents, pictures and paintings, these
are man-made objects. All of these things are linked to an area’s history which gives
the area a certain identity. Some famous examples include the Eiffel Tower in Paris,
France and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy. Historical Importance 3 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 Something that has a strong historical background and that is important for the local
area/people or the whole nation. Objects that have a strong historical importance are
often objects that are cultural heritages. They are important because they have
affected historic events or history itself. These objects need to be protected during
times of war as they are crucial to the area’s history. A graph showing the understanding of cultural heritage and its cycle Background Information Cultural heritage has existed for as long as humans have been recording historical
events and as men have been constructing now famous buildings. Thanks to that cultures
4 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 and people have been able to identify themselves with these famous buildings and protect
them. Throughout history however, rulers and armies have looted places of cultural heritage for
their own personal gain. This happened a lot and now most confiscated items have either
been returned to the original country or been placed in museums where they are protected
from war. Some may not be in their country of origin, but it is assured that they will not be
harmed by war. These museums are very useful for the protection of those precious and
irreplaceable artifacts. A lot of work has been done by conservationist group, governments and UNESCO to
protect the sites of cultural heritage, but conserving heritages is a harder task than people
may think it is.. If a site of cultural heritage is a popular tourist destination (e.g. the palace
and parks of Versailles, France) it is much harder for it to be protected, as protecting it may
damage a country’s economy. Major Countries and Organizations Involved Technically all countries are involved as they all want to protect their cultural heritage
at all costs. Some countries however might decide to damage their cultural heritage
(buildings or landscapes) during times of war. Overall 34 countries have suffered damage to
their cultural heritage. ISIL (Islamic State in the Levant): ISIL has gotten a name for themselves as one of the most brutal and destructive
terrorist organisation that has ever existed. Recently ISIL decided to destroy World Heritage
Sites and other historic sites in Iraq and Syria, due to their extreme following of Salafism (a
sect of Islam that places great importance on monotheism and on eliminating polytheism).
They have destroyed many places of worship, (from both the Islam and Christianity) some of
5 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 which have survived for over 1,300 years and even lived through the Mongol invasion.
A photograph of ISIL militants destroying a museum in Mosul, Iraq. They are pushing over a 3,000 year old
sculpture dating back to the Assyrian Empire. UNESCO ( The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) This United Nations funded organisation has created World Heritage Sites that are
identified as site that have a special cultural or physical significance. Since the creation of
World Heritage Sites, 190 countries ( not including Liechtenstein, Nauru, Somalia, South
Sudan, Timor-Leste and Tuvalu) have accepted the program, and 163 countries have World
Heritage Sites in their territory. The country with the most sites being Italy with 51 World
Heritage sites. It is UNESCO’s goal to preserve and protect every single one of these sites.
All 981 of the sites are prohibited from being damaged or used during times of war according
6 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 to the Laws of War and the The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in
the Event of Armed Conflict. Sadly 43 of them are currently under threat of destruction. U.K. (United Kingdom) In October 2006, a British governmental department called the Department of Culture
Media and Sport passed a document called the "Understanding the Future: Priorities for
England's Museums". This document protects and conserve artifacts in public museums and
aims to educate new generations of the importance of the artifacts. None of the U.K.’s
cultural heritage has ever been destroyed during war. Some of them have however been torn
down for infrastructural reasons. Timeline of Events Date November 14 1945 Description of event Creation of the The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation Signing of the most recent Laws of War in the Geneva Conventions
August 12, 1949 prohibiting the attack on any ICRC (International Committee of the
Red Cross) personnel May 14, 1954 Signing of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of Armed Conflict The "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
November 16, 1972 Natural Heritage" was adopted by the General Conference of
UNESCO The "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
December 14, 1975 Natural Heritage" becomes enforced and has been ratified and signed
by 191 countries. 7 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 October 1, 1991 -
Siege of Dubrovnik where the city faced terrible damage of a
May 1992 UNESCO World Heritage Site. The terrorist group ISIL have been destroying buildings of important
2014 onwards cultural heritage in Iraq, Syria and Libya. These are often places of
worship for religions or sects that they do not accept. Relevant Treaties and Events ● The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
Conflict, 14th of May 1954 ● The Laws of War (ICRC), 12th of August 1949 ● The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
14th of December 1975 Previous Attempts to solve the Issue There have been a few attempts to solve this important problem such as the latest
Laws of War signed in the Geneva convention in 1949. These laws are meant to define what
any two or more parties in a war are and are not allowed to do. Rules 38-39-40-41 are all
focused on protecting cultural buildings and heritage. Rule 39 states “The use of property of
great importance to the cultural heritage of every people for purposes which are likely to
expose it to destruction or damage is prohibited unless imperatively required by military
necessity”. This is essential as a country or a party in a war has very limited choices to what
they can do for their cultural location. There is also the The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the
Event of Armed Conflict. This is a resolution made by UNESCO that is centered on the
8 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 protection of cultural heritage, especially in times of war. When it was passed in 1954, 49
countries signed it. As of February 2014, it has been ratified and signed by 127 countries and
only signed by 4 other countries. These documents however did not work as well as some
had hoped, Some countries damaged protected sites and some of them were demolished by
terrorists . Possible Solutions Some solutions include proposing tougher sanctions (these could be economically,
militarily, etc.) on any country or organisation that damages or destroys a World Heritage Site
or a place of important cultural heritage.. If the country or organisation denies any
involvement with the damage or destruction of the place, the sanctions could be higher. Another solution could be creating a UN funded army that protects any important site
in an area of war or political instability that has the sole purpose of protecting the site. This
army could have the ability to attack any side of the war without facing any consequences.
This army could be mobilised to an area of rising tension to protect the building of cultural
heritage. This would be so the building would be protected if war does break out. For a case
where war has already broken out, the army could enforce a temporary ceasefire so it could
get to the area. If this ceasefire is not acknowledged then the army could either attack them
or embargoes would be placed on the side. Of course there are many other solutions that
could include setting up a no go area around the site during times of war to ensure its safety. Bibliography http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ http://humanrightsinvestigations.org/the-laws-of-war/ 9 Research Reports Haganum Model United Nations 2016| 4th of March – 6th of March 2016 http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.phpURL_ID=13637&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/full-story-isil-takeover-mosul-museum150309053022129.html 1 Research Reports 0