Saving the Cultural Heritage of Iraq

A/RES/69/281View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 14 Culture of peace, published in 2015.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 subjects

Cultural Heritage Destruction of Property Iraq

What’s in this document?

16 operative paragraphs

Condemns the barbaric acts of destruction and looting of the cultural heritage of Iraq carried out by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and deplores the rising incidence of intentional attacks against and threats to the cultural heritage of countries affected by armed conflict as well as damage to cultural property resulting from indiscriminate attacks and the organized looting of and trafficking in cultural objects;

Expresses outrage that attacks on cultural heritage are used as a tactic of war in order to spread terror and hatred, fan conflict and impose violent extremist ideologies;

Calls for an immediate halt to the wanton destruction of the cultural heritage of Iraq, including religious sites or objects, emphasizes that no such acts committed by ISIL or other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida will be tolerated, and also calls for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Iraq by protecting cultural and religious properties and sites consistent with international humanitarian law;

Recalls that, under the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,Error: Reference source not found all parties to an armed conflict shall refrain from committing any act of hostility directed against cultural property, that the use of cultural property, its immediate surroundings or the appliances in use for its protection, for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflicts, is prohibited and such obligations may be waived only in cases where military necessity imperatively requires such a waiver, and that all parties to an armed conflict shall prohibit, prevent and, if necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against, cultural property;

Affirms that attacks intentionally directed against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, or historic monuments, may amount to war crimes;

Stresses the importance of holding accountable perpetrators of attacks intentionally directed against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes, or historic monuments, provided they are not military objectives, and of other violations of international legal instruments on the protection of cultural heritage, and calls upon all States to take appropriate action to this end within their jurisdiction in accordance with applicable international law;

Affirms its support for the Government of Iraq in protecting the heritage of Iraq, an inseparable and permanent part of its national identity, and safeguarding its rich cultural, religious and ethnic diversity which has an important role to play in its efforts of national reconciliation and reconstruction;

Calls upon community leaders to stand up and reaffirm unambiguously that there is no justification for the destruction of humanity’s cultural heritage, appeals also to cultural institutions, museums, archives, libraries, journalists and scientists to explain the necessity of safeguarding and protecting this heritage, and in this regard welcomes the launch of the sensitization campaign “Unite 4 Heritage” by the Government of Iraq and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization;

Calls upon all States to assist the Iraqi authorities in fighting against trafficking in cultural property illegally excavated from archaeological sites and taken from museums, libraries, archives and manuscript collections, as required under Security Council resolutions 1483 (2003) and 2199 (2015), including through international cooperation regarding the restitution of stolen or illicitly exported cultural property, as appropriate, as well as in criminal justice matters and in meeting the challenge of repairing, restoring and conserving damaged or destroyed cultural heritage when security conditions allow;

Expresses concern that ISIL and other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida are generating income from engaging directly or indirectly in the looting of and trafficking in Iraqi cultural heritage items, which is being used to support their recruitment efforts and strengthen their operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks;

Welcomes, in this regard, the adoption of Security Council resolution 2199 (2015) which aims to counter terrorism financing, in particular the decision in paragraph 17 that all Member States shall take appropriate steps to prevent the trade in Iraqi cultural property and other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance illegally removed from Iraq since 6 August 1990, which complements a similar provision for Iraq in place since 2003 contained in paragraph 7 of Council resolution 1483 (2003), calls for full and timely implementation by all Member States of this decision, recalls the obligation of all States to provide the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1989 (2011) with information pertaining to violations of the sanctions regime as well as to provide all other necessary assistance to the Committee, calls upon the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and other international organizations, as appropriate, to assist all Member States in the implementation of Council resolution 2199 (2015), as requested in paragraph 17 of that resolution, and welcomes the actions already undertaken by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in this regard;

Urges all States to take appropriate measures to ensure that all actors involved in the trade in cultural property, including but not limited to auction houses, art dealers, art collectors and museum professionals, are required to provide verifiable documentation of provenance as well as export certificates related to any cultural property imported, exported or offered for sale, including through the Internet;

Encourages States that are not already parties to consider ratifying or acceding to relevant legal instruments, in particular the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property;Error: Reference source not found

Invites all States, intergovernmental bodies, the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and all other stakeholders to support existing national legal frameworks and policies for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage and the return of cultural property, and especially to identify and close any gaps in the national regulations against trafficking in cultural property;

Calls for the urgent implementation and strengthening of the Emergency Response Action Plan on Iraq of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, adopted in July 2014, which provides for close monitoring of the conservation status of Iraqi heritage, training of professional curators and support for staff in place, including by taking emergency measures for the transfer of any cultural property at risk, in particular from museums, libraries, archives and manuscript collections;

Also calls for intensified efforts by States to protect, preserve, inventory and document items of cultural heritage endangered by armed conflicts, including through close cooperation and exchange among museums, libraries, archives and manuscript collections or other institutions or persons dealing with cultural heritage.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents