In recent decades, conflicts around the world have often been based on identity and ethnopolitical clashes rather than inter-state warfare. Heritage, in its tangible and intangible forms, has often been a target of these conflicts, due to its highly symbolic nature, which may be both a powerful instrument of reconciliation and an element of division among communities. There is a pressing need to reflect on the diverse threats to heritage, as spiritual legacy and living witness of human creativity. We also should coordinate and multiply the ways to prevent the loss of heritage and promote its preservation, including increasing awareness and solidarity within the international community.

On the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of the adoption of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event in  Armed Conflict, and the eve of the 2014 World Heritage Committee in Doha (Qatar), UNESCO and the United Nations University (UNU) will organize an international forum of discussions on the issue of heritage and conflict.

The Conference will benefit from the contributions of prominent global heritage actors including the United Nations, civil society, the private sector, international governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as practitioners and renowned academics. It will discuss concrete cases where heritage has been threatened or even destroyed in the context of conflicts, as well as the multifaceted role heritage plays in achieving sustainable peace and development goals.