This act aims to safeguard cultural heritage—including monuments, sacred sites, languages, and traditional knowledge—from the escalating threats of armed conflict and climate-related disasters through global cooperation, emergency funding, and local resilience programs.
Description:
Global Registry of At-Risk Heritage Sites:
Establish a living global database of cultural sites, traditions, and artifacts most vulnerable to conflict or climate impacts (e.g. sea-level rise, desertification, flooding, armed destruction), maintained by UNESCO and local partners.
Emergency Heritage Protection Fund:
Create a rapid-response fund to support emergency evacuation, stabilization, or digital preservation of cultural materials during war, disaster, or extreme weather events.
Community-Based Protection and Training:
Fund training for local communities, Indigenous groups, and cultural stewards in disaster preparedness, digital archiving, and conflict-sensitive heritage protection methods.
Legal Protections and International Accountability:
Strengthen enforcement of international laws prohibiting the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage in armed conflict. Extend protections under the Geneva Conventions and promote prosecution of violations.
Climate Adaptation for Historic Sites:
Support infrastructure upgrades, site relocation where necessary, and use of traditional materials and methods to enhance the climate resilience of heritage structures and cultural landscapes.
Digital Preservation and Open Access Archives:
Prioritize the digitization of vulnerable cultural assets (texts, artifacts, oral histories, music, architecture) with open global access to ensure long-term survival and education.
International Cultural Heritage Task Force:
Form an interdisciplinary task force (conservationists, archaeologists, engineers, military advisers) for deployment in crisis regions, to assist in protecting and recovering cultural property.
Integration into Climate and Peacebuilding Strategies:
Ensure that cultural heritage preservation is mainstreamed into climate adaptation plans and post-conflict peacebuilding efforts to support identity, healing, and cohesion.
Possible Outcomes and Implications:
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