(11 April 2016) The new “blue helmets of culture” will be trained as real soldiers and might also be sent to places like Palmyra, Syria, in order to safeguard cultural heritage. They will take part in a five-day course on personal safety, organized by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa and the Tuscania Regiment of the Carabinieri. Andrea de Guttry, from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, who directs the course alongside Antonio Frassinetto, commander of Regiment Tuscania, explains: “The task force of the ‘Blue Helmets’ of culture represents a fundamental contribution from the Italian Government for the Protection the cultural heritage around the world.” The initiative was officially launched in February, with an agreement between the Italian government and UNESCO as part of the global coalition “Unesco Unite4Heritage”. The agreement, signed in the presence of ministers Gentiloni, Franceschini, Pinotti, Giannini and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, has created a contingent made up of Carabinieri for the protection of cultural heritage, art historians, scholars and restorers. The course of the Sant’Anna of Pisa is divided into theoretical lectures and a series of practical exercises, which include typical situations in which emergency workers may be involved. The practical part of the course focuses on what actions to take in the event of a sudden attack, how to react in the presence of snipers, how to approach an illegal checkpoint and how to plan activities within a hazardous area. (Red)
UNESCO, the blue helmets of culture will be trained at the Sant’Anna University of Pisa
