Paris – The Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Mario Giro expressed “great satisfaction” with the UNESCO Executive Board’s unanimous adoption by acclamation of the resolution put forth by Italy to establish “protected cultural areas.” The goal is to protection cultural heritage sites in the event of conflict, in particular with regard to the deliberate destruction, looting and illicit trafficking of cultural goods. “Italy promoted the resolution because it believes that to destroy the past means to hate the future,” explained Undersecretary Giro, who has been a major proponent of the Italian initiative. The need to create “protected cultural areas” stems from the deliberate destruction of heritage sites in Syria and Iraq. (9Colonne)
