UNESCO Publication: Reducing Risks for Cultural Heritage

UNESCO and the UNESCO Office in Bangkok have recently published a report entitled "Harmonizing Actions to Reduce Risks for Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific. Conference Report". The report collects the proceedings of a regional conference held in Penang, Malaysia, in December 2015. The conference brought together a diverse group of experts in heritage conservation and disaster risk reduction to work towards greater regional cooperation in protecting precious cultural legacy in Asia and the Pacific. More than 110 participants from over 20 countries showcased existing and emerging best practices and standards for enhancing resilience for cultural heritage in the context of disasters and armed conflicts. The event built on the momentum of the Third UN Disaster Risk Reduction Conference in Sendai, Japan, held in March 2015, where the global community made a commitment to mobilize more proactively to reduce disaster risks, a commitment enshrined in the Sendai Framework. The regional conference in Penang also sought to advance that commitment by raising awareness of the importance of protecting cultural heritage in the face of increased risks from disasters and armed conflicts, showcasing best practices in protecting heritage and identifying obstacles and priorities for the integration of culture and heritage into regional initiatives and institutional frameworks for managing risks. Organisers also aimed to provide a platform to raise awareness and advocate the adoption and implementation of the UNESCO conventions relating to the protection of cultural property and sites, namely: the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its First and Second Protocols, the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The conference was held in the framework of UNESCO's regional project on "Disaster Risk Reduction for Cultural Heritage". For additional information about this project, visit http://www.unescobkk.org/culture/heritage/wh/drm/ The report of the conference "Harmonizing Actions to Reduce Risks for Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific" is available at http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/culture/DRM/DRM_Penang_FINAL_resized_for_print.pdf