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| Ivory plaque (furniture piece), Nimrud, late 8th Century B.C. Photo/UNESCO Collections Database | The Third Experts' Meeting on Iraqi cultural heritage, jointly organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan (BUNKACHO) was held in Tokyo, Japan on 1 and 2 August. Some thirty international experts, Iraqi cultural officials, as well as representatives of relevant governmental and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting which focused on both short- and long-term action to preserve the Baghdad Museum.
Key points highlighted during the meeting included equipping and opening laboratories in the museum, starting the restoration of seriously damaged artifacts, and the launching of training programmes for museum employees. The results of the two UNESCO assessment missions to Iraq were also discussed.
The first assessment mission, undertaken from 15 to 20 May, focused on issues related to the theft of cultural objects, the preparation of an inventory for the Baghdad Museum and the refinement of a plan to restore the principal cultural institutions of the city. Having received the personal support of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, the second mission took place between 28 June and 5 July and was organized in close cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). At that time, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura sent Usam Ghaidan, an architect specializing in historic monuments, to Iraq to ensure coordination between UNESCO, the CPA and the authorities responsible for Iraqi cultural institutions.
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| The Qasr Al-Abbasi, in Baghdad, had been partially affected during the 1991 war. The monument, today housing the famous cultural Institution "Bayt Al Hikma", was rehabilitated with support from UNESCO in 1999. Photo/UNESCO WHC, G.Boccardi |
The Experts' Meeting represents the agency's commitment in taking relevant measures pursuant to Paragraph 7 of Security Council resolution 1483 (2003). It calls upon UNESCO, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and other international organizations to "take appropriate steps to facilitate the safe return to Iraqi institutions of Iraqi cultural property and other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific, and religious importance illegally removed from the Iraq National Museum, the National Library and other locations in Iraq since the adoption of resolution 661 (1990) of 6 August 1990. It also includes "establishing a prohibition on trade in or transfer of such items and items with respect to which reasonable suspicion exists that they have been illegally removed".
Moreover, UNESCO reinforced its cooperation with INTERPOL to fight against the illicit traffic in Iraqi cultural properties by signing on 8 July an amendment to their 1999 Cooperation Agreement. The amendment lays the groundwork for the establishment and compilation of a database on cultural properties stolen in Iraq, for which the scientific responsibility has been entrusted to UNESCO.
In another area of its multifaceted involvement in Iraq, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, during its 27th session from 30 June to 5 July, inscribed Ashur (Qala'at Sherqat) on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee stated that Ashur lacked adequate protection following the military conflict in Iraq, although it had been previously nominated when a large dam project threatened the site.
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