Heritage for Peace: an NGO protecting Syrian Cultural Heritage during the Conflict

Part of the Conflict and Cultural Heritage Conference. Theme 3: What is being done or should be done? Exploring archaeological and military heritage protection initiatives. With Dr Emma Cunliffe (Heritage for Peace). Heritage for Peace is an international NGO entirely founded and run by volunteers, who work to protect heritage during conflict and assist their colleagues in Syria. This presentation will showcase their ideas and principles, some of their work, and some of the difficulties faced in working during a conflict. The second half will present a particular project: a regular report of international actions undertaken by the international community, demonstrating how the wider community has reacted, and how the approach of a small NGO can be successful. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Om Podcasten

The Conflict and Cultural Heritage Conference aims to raise public awareness and develop understanding of the issues surrounding the protecting of cultural heritage at risk from armed conflict. Focussing on the Middle East, the area currently undergoing the greatest destruction and where the heritage is most at risk, we aim to demonstrate the importance of the heritage, why its destruction matters, and what can be done. Topics to be explored will include the material heritage of the region from international and local perspectives, and the living heritage of communities with rich and longstanding traditions, before exploring why such destruction is happening, and the beliefs that underlie extremist practices. Focus will then move to an overview of what is being done already, and what more the international community can do. This free conference is intended to provide information from a variety of cultures, perspectives, and organisations, including academics, archaeologists, the military, and the media, raising awareness of the multi-cultural nature of Middle Eastern heritage, and its global relevance in the past and today.