Protecting Cultural Heritage Threads through United Nations Peacekeeping Strategy, Secretary-General Tells Yale University Colloquium
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Global Colloquium of University Presidents on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage: Challenges and Strategies, at Yale University, in New Haven, United States, today.
12 April 2016
SG/SM/17664
[Excerpt]
…Cultural diversity, like biodiversity, plays a quantifiable and crucial part in the health of the human species. An attack on cultural heritage in one part of the world is an attack on us all.

But, cultural diversity is under grave threat around the globe. Who could fail to be outraged by the destruction of the magnificent Buddhas of Bamyan, the monuments of Palmyra, the mosques and cultural artefacts of northern Mali? This wanton vandalism is not collateral damage. It is part of a ruthless wave of cultural and ethnic cleansing, inseparable from the persecution of the communities that created these cultural gems. It is also part of a cycle of theft and profit that finances the activities of extremists and terrorists.

As a human family, we cannot let them erase our history and identity. Any loss of cultural heritage is a loss of our common memory. It impairs our ability to learn, to build experience and to apply the lessons of the past to the present and the future. Culture is also one of the strongest driving forces for building societies and imbuing them with values. It knits communities together with a sense of continuity.

Extremists and terrorists have known this throughout the ages. They have always understood that by attacking and destroying cultural artefacts, buildings and monuments, they can divide people, erase their common values, shred the social fabric and create greater fragility and vulnerability to their cynical ideology.

In our response, we must be even more determined to safeguard and preserve culture than the extremists are to destroy it. This must be central to our strategy for tackling violent extremism, building peace and restoring security.

The United Nations system is working to strengthen the links between the protection of cultural heritage, peacebuilding missions and humanitarian emergency response. In Mali, for example, I saw the destruction caused by extremist militants to mausoleums and manuscripts when they took over Timbuktu in 2012. It was not only about stones, buildings and papers. It was about identity and dignity.

I will never forget speaking to the Grand Imam, representatives from the Christian community, the local government, young people and women’s representatives. They all said they had lived together in a diverse community for years. They all wanted education, jobs and, above all, peace.

As soon as Timbuktu was liberated, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the Malian Government launched a restoration operation, with logistical support from the “blue helmets” of our United Nations peacekeeping mission. Like destruction, restoration is not only about buildings. It is about history, identity, culture and the promise of the future. I am proud to say that 14 mausoleums have now been completely restored. The town’s people talk of the rebirth of Timbuktu.

UNESCO stands ready to travel to Palmyra, which was liberated just weeks ago, to help evaluate the damage and protect the city’s priceless cultural heritage. I hope that one day, Palmyra, Aleppo, Nineveh and the other devastated cities of Syria and Iraq will again serve as symbols of unity and diversity.

The United Nations Security Council has recognized the important links between cultural heritage, peace and security in a landmark resolution passed last year. The Council condemned the destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria and adopted legally binding measures to combat the illicit trafficking of antiquities and cultural artefacts from these countries. This was a rare show of unity from the Council, which had been in a deadly deadlock over Syria. Now we must build on these major steps, to advance the cause of peace…