Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the Global Consortium for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage Bocconi University, Milan, 25 September, 2017 Dear Francesco Billari, Dean of the Faculty, Bocconi University, Andrea Colli, Head of the Department of Policy Analysis and Public Management, Bocconi University, M. Stefano Baiai Curioni, of the ASK (Art, Science & Knowledge) Research Centre, Bocconi University, Dear Stefan Simon, of the Yale University Institute for the preservation of Heritage, I am very honored to be here, in Milan, for the opening session of this Global Consortium. I wish to thank you all for your invitation. As a matter of fact, I came to Milan at the very beginning of my mand ate to speak about New Humanism at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and I am deeply moved to be back here in this city, 7 years later, as I am about to step down as Director General. Milan is one of the very birthplaces of European humanism. Milan is a symbol of the Italian Renaissance, a time when Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, Pico della Mirandolla and so many others worked together and shared their knowledge and passion for philosophy, engineering and arts. It was also a time of war and uncertainty, and I believe the experience and the ideas which were forged then are still an inspiration for us all, to renew the humanist ideal, in response to our modern conflicts and our own uncertainty. DG/2017/145 - Original: English
If you allow me this introductory digression, I see two notions of vital importance here. First, one of the key principles of European humanism was the faith in the richness of human potential and dignity the conviction that human beings have no assigned fate, but are free to become what they dream to be. Second, this quest for human dignity is associated with the idea that culture and intercultural dialogue is what helps us become part of a single human community this is achieved through literature, art, science and history. I believe this vision is of vital importance today, because this is precisely what violent extremism seeks to destroy: the idea of a single human community, and the notion that culture, education and knowledge are a source of fulfillment for all. Culture has become a target for terrorists in modern conflicts, and the deliberate destruction of heritage has become a tactic of war to undermine societies, shock individuals, and crush any sense of belonging. We see heritage sites destroyed. We see schools and teachers under attack. We see journalists killed or silenced and freedom of expression banned. Violent extremists know the power of heritage to strengthen resilience and delegitimize their claims and false promises violent extremists are afraid of culture, they are afraid of knowledge and this is why they seek to destroy it. We see deliberate attacks on all institutions of knowledge and cultural diversity, to annihilate freedom of thought and collective benchmarks. This destruction is deeply connected with the persecution of people, in a global strategy of cultural cleansing, which seeks to spread radicalization and accelerates the disintegration of societies over the very long term. If violent extremists understand the power of heritage and culture in social resilience, I believe we can too. DG/2017/145 - Page 2
Hard power and military action is of course indispensable, but is not enough to defeat such threats based on the distortion of history and the manipulation of faith. The fight against terrorism requires a multidimensional force, based on every possible instrument of international cooperation. We need to counter the use of the Internet and social media by terrorists. We need to curb the financing of terrorist groups through the looting and illicit trafficking of cultural property. We need to share new narratives about culture and religions, highlight tangible evidences of dialogue among cultures, immediate and solid proof showing that peace is not only possible, it is a reality. We need to build new intellectual and moral shields against those who disseminate cultures of intolerance. The protection of heritage, and the transmission of its message, is a pillar of this vision. This is how I see the importance of this Consortium for UNESCO. This is not about monuments or sites. It is a political and a security imperative inseparable from that of defending human lives. I remember how difficult it was, just a few years ago, to raise awareness about the destruction of heritage. I remember vividly Ambassadors and Political leaders coming to me and saying: People are dying, and yet you speak about monuments, is UNESCO out of touch? We need to listen to affected populations. Over the last 5 years, in Mali, in Iraq and Syria, and elsewhere, people risked their lives to protect their heritage. DG/2017/145 - Page 3
Khaled al-asaad, a Syrian scholar, was murdered by terrorists because he refused to lead the fighters to where artefacts had been hidden because he believed that the message of heritage was more important than his own life. Just a few days ago, I found in my office a book about Palmyra, signed by Khaled Al-Assad whom I had the privilege to meet there, and I was deeply moved and I wish to pay tribute to his memory and courage. These people remind us of the key principles of humanism: we, human beings, are not only flesh and blood we need ideas and identities as much as we need food and water, we embody values to be passed on. Many have died defending them. Henceforth, when culture is at the heart of conflicts -- it must be at the heart of peacebuilding. Culture is a force for resilience, civil empowerment and state building. I witnessed this in Timbuktu, Mali, where terrorists destroyed 14 out of 16 mausoleums inscribed on the UNESCO world Heritage list. I went to visit the destroyed site immediately after the liberation of the City, and I promised we would rebuild them. And so we did. I witnessed the joy of the local community after the reconstruction. This is why I am firmly convinced that preservation of Heritage stands at the heart of peace building today. This is the spirit of UNESCO s global advocacy and work over the past recent years -- and we have seen major breakthroughs. France and the United Kingdom have just ratified the Hague Convention. Now all 5 Permanent Members of the Security Council are party to it. This is true testament to a new global recognition of the role of cultural heritage in modern conflict. DG/2017/145 - Page 4
You may have heard the story of Colonnel Keba Sangare, leader of the Malian forces, during the battle for Timbuktu. He had to fight one last group of extremists in the operations to retake the city. In these last days of an intense battle, the combat came close to the sacred Mosq and there was an opportunity to call the air force and put an end to the battle. Colonel Sangare decided not to use that option, and chose to pursue the battle on the ground, so as not to inflict severe damage upon the great Mosq of the City. After the liberation of the City, people asked him why he did not call the Air Force: "It is forbidden by international law to damage a World heritage Site," he said. In the same spirit, the United Nations Security Council adopted several historic Resolutions, including resolution 2199 in 2015 to fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property as a source of financing for terrorism. In March this year, resolution 2347 recognizes, for the first time, the crucial role culture plays in sustainable strategies for building peace and security. Just last week, in the margins of the UN General Assembly, the Security Council adopted resolution 2379 on Da esh Accountability, further recognizing the importance of heritage protection. The recent ruling of the International Criminal Court, which sentenced Al Faqi Al Mahdi for war crimes after the destruction of mausoleums of Timbuktu, is also a historical decision towards the end of impunity to which I had the development of a new Policy Paper by the ICC, dedicated to the protection of culture. None of these new developments could have been envisaged a decade ago. Our role and duty is to transform this new consciousness into effective networks, into law enforcement tools and into concrete protection measures on the ground, closer to the people. DG/2017/145 - Page 5
For this, we need to bring together experts and professionals from different backgrounds, including security, law enforcement and humanitarian professionals, well beyond the classical culture box. This is why I created an international platform to fight against illicit trafficking, sharing information on trafficking routes and seized objects, bringing together UNODC, the World Customs Organization, ICOMOS, ICOM and other partners. The European Union is working towards stronger and harmonized legislation on the importation of cultural goods, as a tactic to deter illicit trafficking. With Italy, we established the first ever-emergency Unite4heritage Task Force, bringing together for the first time heritage experts and Carabinieri security forces. We are all exploring the ways to strengthen the linkages between peacebuilding operations, humanitarian emergency responses and all the other actions that we undertake for the protection of heritage. This is the spirit of the agreement I signed in 2016 with the International Committee for the Red Cross and Red Crescent, integrating culture more deeply into humanitarian operations. We work with the Geneva Call, building new partnerships and innovative solutions to respond to new forms of warfare, with a plurality of non-state actors, which do not necessarily recognise International Humanitarian law. We must build on this momentum. This is why we are deeply grateful to the Institute for The Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Yale University for its contribution to our campaign #Unite4Heritage, working with youth, students and teachers and the civil society. I believe the role of Universities is of critical importance here, because in the end, the battle for heritage is a battle for the hearts and minds. DG/2017/145 - Page 6
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of addressing students from Yale University and visiting the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, which delivers spearhead progress in the field of heritage preservation. The Bocconi ASK Research Center also stands in a leading position in terms of sustainable preservation and conservation. You play an important role in this global effort against ignorance and hatred. We cannot defeat violence with more violence. When violent extremists seek to destroy culture and erase cultural diversity, we need to respond with even more culture, more knowledge, more understanding. We need to transmit the values of Word Heritage, especially to the youngest, who are the most prone to the lure of radicalisation. I remember when I went to Tunisia, just after the revolution. I visited one school, after a visit to the Bardo Museum, which contains exceptional Roman mosaics. I was talking to these young boys and girls, and I asked them if they were proud of having such a fertile heritage, composed of several cultural layers, such as Roman heritage, Phoenician, Islamic etc. One girl raised her hand and said, why should I be proud of heritage that does not belong to me, it does not belong to my culture, it belongs to the Roman, it belongs to Italy! I admit it, I was startled. But I told her: you know, every culture permeates with each other. People live in this place, and maybe your grand-grand-grand-father did this mosaic. There is no pure culture. There are always influences, different layers, but we stand as a single humanity. This story epitomizes the importance of providing young people with the skills, historical references and knowledge so they can embrace their own history. DG/2017/145 - Page 7
They also need this knowledge and those skills to respond and defuse the discourses of those who distort history and manipulate faiths. This is why schools and universities are so important. We need to connect researchers and scholars around the world, to share the history of heritage, the values it carries. One perfect illustration of this networking lies within the recently destroyed Temple of Bel of Palmyra. It so happens that Japan possesses extremely detailed pictures taken a few weeks before its destruction and the experts able to make the most of this documentation are everywhere in the World, in Japan, in the US, in Italy Such intelligence will be crucial when it comes to safeguarding, and sharing the message of Palmyra, which is a message of dialogue among cultures, at the end of the Silk Road, between East and West. Knowledge sharing mobilizes all stakeholders at a global level. We need to reinforce the networks and build more bridges between all actors. This is a key part of UNESCO s work, to act for intercultural dialogue, to embrace diversity, while strengthening respect for human rights and dignity. This is how we can renew this spirit of human community we inherited from the humanist renaissance because anywhere in the world when a temple or a monument is destroyed or a community is persecuted, we are all impoverished, and we all suffer. In response, we need to strengthen this notion of intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity, which is at the heart of UNESCO s mandate, today more than ever. Thank you all for your attention. DG/2017/145 - Page 8