Heidelberg Zentrum Kulturelles Erbe World Heritage in Times of War and Conflicts

In numerous countries and regions, including in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia – many heritage sites have been damaged in recent years by wars and armed conflicts. A great number of these sites are included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List or are under enhanced protection with the 1954 Hague Convention and its two protocols. It appears that cultural sites become more and more targets of attacks, in a few cases also because of their international recognition through the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention. This presentation by Dr Mechtild Rössler, former Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, aims to demonstrate, from a practical perspective, what local stakeholders and the international community as a whole can do to protect cultural heritage sites and movable cultural objects. She also draws on her extensive field experience including in combat zones and from recent capacity building workshops.