Belief in heritage as tool for lasting peace also guides our efforts: UNESCO DG

New Delhi/Paris, Jul 8 (PTI) A firm belief in heritage as a "tool for lasting peace" guides UNESCO's efforts in ongoing conflict zones, and this message needs to be amplified as many World Heritage Sites are "under threat from indiscriminate strikes", particularly in the Middle East, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay has said.

Addressing the opening of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Paris on Monday, she said the number of World Heritage Sites has grown from 12 in 1979 to over 1,200 today, according to a statement issued by UNESCO.

"If there's one form of multilateralism that knows no crisis, it's heritage. With its 196 States Parties, our Convention is one of the most universally ratified - a true plebiscite and a solid popularity in every corner of the world," Azoulay said.

She underlined that heritage weaves an "essential bond" between people and societies, and in conflict and post-conflict settings, it "becomes a pivotal tool to re-establish peaceful coexistence and help restore the social fabric".

This was what UNESCO experienced in Mosul with its USD 115 million reconstruction programme, which began in 2018 and was completed this year "and the method we implemented can now be applied in other contexts," the UNESCO DG added.

"I am very pleased to announce that UNESCO is resuming its action in Syria with efforts to safeguard the National Museum of Damascus -- a city inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger," she said.

She added that in Aleppo, "also inscribed on our List," UNESCO is preparing to implement a programme to preserve the city's iconic monuments and rehabilitate its national museum.

This "firm belief in heritage as a tool for lasting peace also guides our efforts" in ongoing conflict zones, she said, adding that, "This is a message we must amplify at a time when many World Heritage Sites are under threat from indiscriminate strikes, particularly in the Middle East." Several have already sustained damage, in Lebanon, in Syria, in Israel, or face constant risks, like in Palestine. UNESCO will intervene in the Old City of Gaza and in Khan Yunis as soon as the situation allows, Azoulay said. PTI KND OZ MNK MNK