U.S.-Iran tension, UNESCO reminds that both have ratified conventions to protect cultural property

Unesco has been vocal about the tensions between the U. S. and Iran after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran by declaring that the U.S. is ready to strike Iranian cultural sites as well. Earlier in the day, Unesco Director General Audrey Azoulay received Ahmad Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Unesco, and discussed with him the situation between the U.S. and Iran with a focus on heritage and culture.

In an official memo, the director recalled what is prescribed by the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and the World Heritage Convention (1972), “two legal instruments,” the statement said, “which have been ratified by both the United States and Iran.” The 1972 convention stipulates, among other things, that “each State Party to this Convention undertakes to deliberately refrain from any measure likely to damage directly or indirectly the cultural and natural heritage referred to in Articles 1 and 2 and located on the territory of other States Parties to this Convention.” The director also recalled UN Resolution 2347, which condemns acts of destruction of cultural heritage.

Finally, Audrey Azoulay stressed the importance of cultural and natural heritage as vectors of peace and dialogue between peoples, and the international community has a duty to protect and preserve them for future generations.

U.S.-Iran tension, UNESCO reminds that both have ratified conventions to protect cultural property

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