UNESCO director calls destruction of heritage sites ‘war crime’ News
UNESCO director calls destruction of heritage sites ‘war crime’

The director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova [official website], continued [press release] her campaign against the looting and destruction of archaeological sites in the Middle East at a conference in Cairo on Wednesday and condemned the destructive act as a “war crime.” She declared the action a “tactic of war” and called for an end [AP report] to the smuggling of antiquities in Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Libya. The conference was held to address the increasing problem of looting and destruction of historical sites throughout the Middle East.

UNESCO has reiterated its commitment to provide more protection to end the looting and destruction of cultural heritage sites. The director-general also called on all parties [press release] in Yemen to end the destructive attacks after reports of bombing of the World Heritage Site of the Old City of Sana’a. Earlier in May the UN University [official website] joined with UNESCO to develop a plan [press release] to end the destruction of heritage sites in the war-torn middle east. The collaboration created the social media campaign #Unite4Heritage [website]. The campaign centers on ending the destruction, looting, and trafficking of antiquities to finance terrorist groups.

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