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All wars, with their turmoil, maiming and killing, wantonly destroy the soul and disfigure the memory of what constitutes a people’s very identity, in other words its culture. In Iraq, as a result of thirteen years of sanctions and the chaos that followed the recent armed conflict, eight thousand years of human history now hang in the balance. Arsonists have burnt libraries and archives, looters have plundered historic buildings and cultural institutions and items of unique value have disappeared from museums and archaeological sites.
UNESCO’s response to these events was prompt. The first task was to ascertain the extent of the damage. To this effect three meetings that brought together internationally acclaimed experts on the cultural heritage of Iraq were organized on 17 April 2003 in Paris, 29 April 2003 in London, and 1 August 2003 in Tokyo. Based on the findings of the above meetings and missions, projects were formulated. Several of these projects are currently being implemented and contacts with potential donors for the other projects are in progress.
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Director-General announces new initiatives in culture and education during first visit to Iraq
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Iraqi intellectuals meeting at UNESCO outline a new cultural policy for Iraq 28 May 2004 - Respect for cultural diversity, promotion of creativity and participation of all in cultural life, and the safeguarding of cultural heritage form the three pillars of an Appeal adopted yesterday by participants at the First Cultural Forum for Iraq, organized by UNESCO on May 26 and 27 at Headquarters.
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Director-General's Meeting with the Iraqi Minister of Education 08 Oct 2003 - In the area of culture, the efforts already engaged in by the Organization will be continued and UNESCO will contribute to efforts aimed at raising the awareness of donors in respect of emergency actions, the identification of which have been the result of UNESCO’s missions on the ground.
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UNESCO to send new mission to Iraq to check cultural heritage after looting 30 Jul 2003 - Following up on reports of looting in Iraqi museums and archaeological sites, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced today that it was sending a second expert team to Baghdad tomorrow to take stock of the situation regarding the country's heritage.
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Patrimoine culturel iraquien : Première réunion de coordination de l’aide internationale 16 Jul 2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a ouvert le 16 juillet la première réunion de coordination de l’aide internationale en faveur du patrimoine culturel iraquien, en présence de M. Muayyad Said Al Damarji, conseiller de l’Ambassadeur Piero Cordone désigné administrateur civil pour le patrimoine par les autorités américaines.
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Colloqium "Babylone and the Bible" UNESCO Headquarters, Paris 21 Sep 2004 - 21 Sep 2004 On 21 September 2004 UNESCO Headquarter hosted a colloquium on « Babylone and the Bible » organized by the periodical "Le Monde de la Bible". |
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