Irina Bokova participates in the Smithsonian Academy discussion on Cultural Heritage under attack
The Director General of UNESCO took part in a High Level event on the protection of cultural heritage organized by the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex, in Washington DC. She presented UNESCO's role and work in the protection of heritage, both tangible and intangible, in times of conflict, calling for increased cooperation and coordination between all the stakeholders involved.
“Conflicts are changing shape today, with the rise of violent extremism, with culture and identities on the frontline of new wars,” said the Director General. “ We see attacks on people, on heritage and on minds, as parts of the same deliberate strategy that I consider “cultural cleansing”. The protection of culture has become much more than a cultural issue. It is a humanitarian imperative and a security issue”.
"This calls for new responses and this is why UNESCO is exploring every way to strengthen the linkages between peacebuilding operations, humanitarian emergency response and action for the protection of heritage", she said, referring to recent positive examples of UNESCO interventions in Mali, Afghanistan.
The Director-General concluded her intervention by underscoring the Organization's strong cooperation with the United States and with the Smithsonian Institution in the field of cultural heritage preservation, notably with the active role of U.S. civil society and of academics and experts.
The event took place in the presence of John McCarter, Chair of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, Senator Patrick Leahy, David Rubenstein, co-Founder of The Carlyle Group and philantropist, Richard Kurin, American Anthropologist and Under Secretary for Museums and Research at the Smithsonian Institution. Steve Case, founder of AOL, John Fahey, former CEO of National Geographic, Michael Lyntton, CEO of SONY, Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel, the diplomatic community, and other distinguished guests.
UNESCO and the Smithsonian Institution have built a strong cooperation over more than a decade, sharing expertise on the protection of cultural heritage. Among many joint projects, the U.S. National Museum through its Smithsonian Folkways Recordings became the exclusive publisher of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music of the World, a series of more than a hundred pioneering audio recordings of the world’s traditional music.