The World Heritage
Committee on 2 July condemned the destruction of World Heritage sites in Mali
and decided on measures to help the country protect its heritage.
In its decision, the 21-member Committee responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, called on the Director-General of UNESCO to create a special fund to help Mali in the conservation of its cultural heritage.
The Committee also appealed on all UNESCO Member States and on the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperaion (OIC) to provide financial resources to this Fund.
The decision strongly condemned the acts of
destruction of mausoleums in the World Heritage property of Timbuktu and called
for an end to these “repugnant acts.”
The text of the decision also requested the
Director-General of UNESCO to send a mission to Mali when possible with a view
to assessing, together with the national authorities concerned as well as the
local authorities, the extent of the damage and destruction and define urgent
conservation needs.
The World Heritage Committee also recognized
efforts already undertaken to help Mali safeguard its heritage, notably the
sending of a mission in May by Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and
the efforts fo the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the
countries of the region to help the people of Mali resolve the crisis.
Mali has recently taken measures to accede
to the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of
Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict 1999 which amongst others, penalizes
the intentional destruction of cultural heritage.
Sankore
mosque, Timbuktu, Mali - UNESCO/Lazare Eloundu Assomo
