By John Keating
PARIS, March 20 (KUNA) -- Some USD 75.6 million was pledged on Monday here for the cause of protecting cultural heritage in areas of conflict worldwide.
The pledge, made by representatives of some 40 countries, organisations and entities that took part in the opening of a conference in the Louvre Museum, came in support of efforts to protect global cultural heritage.
Participants, from both the public and private sectors, also pledged about USD eight million for material and logistical support.
In a dynamic step, the attendees have picked up on an international aspiration to protect cultural heritage, which has been put under serious threat in a number of countries, notably but not exclusively in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Mali.
To counter these threats and help protect and even rehabilitate cultural artefacts, sites and properties, the "International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Armed Conflict Areas (ALIPH)" was founded earlier in March and will be based in Geneva with a mission to work in conflict areas.
The ALIPH Foundation is co-founded by France and the UAE and will work to raise finances for projects, but also to establish refuge to house artefacts to protect both from damage and theft.
The Foundation is also to cooperate with UNESCO, which has been working to help protect cultural heritage but with a more restricted budget on its side.
"This event today is proof of the interest the world is taking in the problem of the destruction of cultural heritage," President of Arab World Institute Jack Lang told KUNA on the sidelines of the Louvre conference.
Lang praised the generosity of the Gulf Countries, singling out Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for mention when he spoke of solidarity with the culture and financing for this sector.
"They always come forward with what they promised," he said of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Gulf countries make up around 50 percent of the commitments made here on Monday for ALIPH.
Lang told KUNA that "Gulf nations have taken the lead but others will follow. This will happen when they see the concrete actions coming forth," he added.
"China has said it will contribute at the level of its economic importance," Lang remarked. "Let's be hopeful and wait and see." In opening remarks at the Louvre event, President Francois Hollande stressed the work ahead was substantial but said France would continue to support ALIPH's efforts alongside co-founder, the UAE.
Hollande lamented the destruction that has been caused in a number of conflict-ridden countries in the past years.
The behaviour of so-called Islamic State (IS) has left "a horrifying spectacle of destruction" in Iraq and Syria, he said.
He singled out the ancient remnants destroyed in Palmyra, where he said "a jewel of humanity is now a smoking carcass" after the actions of IS terrorists.
He decried the destruction of Aleppo, where many ancient sites have been destroyed but also mentioned Mali, which has suffered from cultural destruction.
"Numerous monuments and sites have been destroyed and many more pillaged," Hollande lamented, but "this conference is the incarnation of renaissance and hope." He spoke of the "unheard of international mobilisation" that the ALIPH Foundation was not getting.
"This is about protecting our common cultural heritage," he indicated.
The ALIPH foundation will now begin functioning with a board of directors and a budget target of USD 100 million, which participants said was almost achieved and financing might go even further than the target. (end) jk.hb