Brussels, 15/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - The fight against the destruction of cultural sites cannot be taken in isolation from the fight in favour of human rights in the Middle East, the MEPs of the committee on culture and education of the European Parliament (CULT) and the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, unanimously agreed at a public hearing held on Tuesday 15 September.
The MEPs and the UNESCO representative also unanimously agreed that cooperation between the EU and UNESCO needs to be stepped up, so as to create a new cultural diplomacy in order to protect cultural diversity. “It is a question of citizenship. A unique opportunity to build a new contract for cultural diversity”, said Bokova. “It is vital that the (European) Commission takes initiatives for a new cultural diplomacy”, added Silvia Costa (S&D, Italy), president of the CULT committee.
The hearing on “inter-cultural dialogue and education for mutual understanding” was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity. Bokova presented UNESCO's role in protecting and promoting cultural diversity, stressing that the organisation's aim to raise awareness of “global citizenship” had never been as important as it is today.
The MEP Petra Kammerevert (S&D, Germany) raised the “relevant” question as to why people should be bothered about “old rocks” when human lives are being lost in the Middle East. She agrees with Bokova's reflection that respecting cultural heritage and respecting human rights are intrinsically linked: Islamic State wants to destroy evidence of the cultural wealth and diversity on Syrian soil because it hopes to deny the cultural and religious identity of the communities who live there, particularly the Yazidis.
UNESCO, and the members of the European Parliament, believe that adopting solid measures to fight the underground trade in works of art, which is making Islamic State rich, will be a positive response to tackling the jihadi atrocities. More specifically, Silvia Costa referred to the conclusions of a hearing of the EP in July on the role and duties of Europe regarding the pillage of cultural sites. She hopes that the European Commission's pledges to take action will not be just lip service, with particular reference to a directive to fight the illegal trade in cultural goods on the territory of the EU.
Those who took part in the debate, MEPs and experts alike, also stressed the need for the European Union to rethink inclusive education systems respecting cultural diversity, creating optimum community life, with the current migration crisis only increasing the multi-cultural nature of European society. (Isabelle Lamberty)