General Assembly Session 57 meeting 67

The President

Today, the General Assembly, pursuant to resolution 56/8 of 21 November 2001, will mark the end of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, under agenda item 23, entitled "United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage".

It has been said that culture is the mirror of humanity and that cultural heritage represents the historical record and understanding of the entire spirit of a people in terms of its values, actions, works, institutions, monuments and sites. The current Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aptly described it in his message:

"The cultural heritage of a people is the memory of its living culture. It is expressed in many different forms, both tangible and intangible. The origins of this heritage are multifarious too. In retracing its own cultural lineage, in recognizing the many different influences that have marked its history and shaped its identity, a people is better able to build peaceful relations with other peoples to pursue what is often an age-old dialogue and to forge its future."

On 21 November 2001, the General Assembly adopted resolution 56/8 to proclaim the year 2002 as the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the world cultural heritage. The resolution invited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to serve as the lead agency for the Year.

Cultural heritage is a testimony of everyday life. It includes monumental remnants as well as industrial heritage, local and indigenous knowledge, handicrafts, design, language, oral traditions, rites and beliefs, music, dance and song, medicinal and culinary traditions and so on.

All too often, heritage is the target of destruction by virtue of its value as a symbol and an identity. An attack on cultural heritage symbolizes attack on the group as such and indicates intolerance and hostility. The protection of heritage and its transmission to future generations are therefore ethical imperatives.

The proclamation of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage took place just nine months after the destruction of two giant 1,500-year-old sculptures of Buddha, representing a culture of tolerance in the Afghan Valley of Bamiyan. This barbarous act of the Taliban shocked the whole world and has been considered as a symbol of crimes against culture, but it is not the only example of cultural vandalism. Bosnia's cultural heritage was systematically destroyed to wipe out all traces of the past shared by the different communities. I recall the beauty of the well-known old bridge at Mostar, which not only connected two parts of one town, but also gave the name to the town and symbolized the symbiosis of Mostar's communities. It does not exist any more. Today, UNESCO and the World Bank are coordinating the work of multicultural teams rebuilding the Mostar bridge. I strongly believe that the new Mostar bridge will again symbolize tolerance and help to bridge the dark periods of the region's history.

I come from a region rich in cultural sites that have suffered from wars, plundering and, most recently, from flooding. We need protection strategies against natural disasters which have destroyed important cultural heritage sites.

Armed conflict poses the most obvious risk to the destruction of cultural heritage. As a result, the first international instrument on the protection of cultural heritage focused on this area. In 1954, UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, strengthened by two Protocols. In 1970, the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property was adopted to combat plundering and trafficking of such property.

Thirty years ago, the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, another fundamental pillar and the most popular and well-known in the body of legal text on heritage, was adopted. Today, the number of States parties has reached 175 and the Convention stands as a vital instrument for concrete action in preserving threatened cultural and natural sites. Furthermore, the Convention drew up the World Heritage List, which today includes 730 sites -- 563 cultural, 144 natural and 23 mixed -- in 125 countries. Bearing witness to exceptional achievements of civilizations and nature, these sites enjoy recognition for their outstanding universal value. On this special occasion, I would like to encourage countries that have not yet joined the Convention and other related international heritage protection instruments to do so at the earliest opportunity. I also urge the active involvement of institutions, organizations and individuals at the international, national and local levels to protect and preserve our common cultural heritage and to share the financial responsibilities.

Mr. Aboul Gheit (Egypt)

In the framework of the many social, political, economic and other issues of which the United Nations is seized, questions concerning culture are of a particular nature because, given sometimes conflicting economic and diverse political interests, cultural dialogue among peoples can serve to find common grounds of rapprochement, contact and cooperation. Such common grounds can help everyone to understand the manner and conditions in which others live.

Hence, the special importance of the issue before us today. If culture and cultural dialogue play this pivotal role in international relations, what then is the role of cultural heritage, one of the most significant sources of human civilization, irrespective of its origin or name? Cultural heritage is a cumulative product of diverse human experiences bequeathed to us by our ancestors as testimonies of their lives. It has recorded for us facts and experiences, either through the carving of sculpture in stone, metal or writing on stone or leather, such as poetry or cave drawings. These are all forms of human testimony to the long and arduous road that humankind has traversed -- a long chain of varied experiences, successes and failures alike.

Our duty to our forebears makes us responsible not only for protecting and preserving their heritage, but also for studying it and extracting whatever eternal humanistic lessons and values it contains and passing them along to future generations that will carry the torch of hope on humankind's journey. It is incumbent upon us, today more than ever, to search for, reflect upon and grasp our cultural heritage so that we may explore the roots that it shares with other peoples and civilizations. It is up to us to find those roots, which constitute evidence of the common origins and destiny of all peoples of the world.

It is against this backdrop that the international community is today marking the end of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, in which 40 countries representing the five continents, including my own, have actively participated. The Year has brought together the various cultures and civilizations, demonstrating the noble message and objective that have united their representatives, despite their diversity and differences, to rally around a common goal: the maintenance of the common cultural heritage of humankind.

The proclamation of 2002 as the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage and the celebration this year of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption in 1972 of the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage give fresh impetus to enhancing universal awareness of the importance of common efforts to protect and promote that heritage, especially since 175 States have acceded to the Convention. The Convention was adopted 30 years ago to highlight the dangers facing the international community not just in terms of conventional factors, such as the passage of time and the erosion of cultural heritage, but also through changing social and economic factors that contribute to the loss of that heritage. Such great losses have affected the wealth of human cultural heritage in many parts of the world. Humankind has lost priceless cultural treasures and monuments that cannot be replaced. As the President of the General Assembly has just noted, such a loss was incurred in the recent tragic events in Afghanistan.

The Convention has the very noble mission of drawing up the World Heritage List, which now contains more than 730 sites of common human cultural heritage throughout the world. The international community is today cooperating to protect and develop those sites, the development of which is well coordinated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The considerable efforts made by UNESCO in recent decades to protect and maintain humankind's heritage from destruction have made its name synonymous with great cultural and humanistic values that embody the authenticity and preservation of whatever has worth and is precious in that cultural or natural heritage. UNESCO is the protecting body of the world's heritage, wherever and of whatever kind it may be. I could cite numerous examples of the vital role being played by UNESCO, first and foremost among which are its various campaigns throughout the world to protect humankind's heritage threatened with destruction. One such campaign, which Egypt holds in particular attachment, was that of the 1960s to protect the monuments of Nubia in southern Egypt from the destructive floods of the Nile. UNESCO has also adopted various conventions, including The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, adopted in 1954, and the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

The broad institutional experience of UNESCO is important and makes that organization the ideal vehicle for giving new impetus to the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, along with all interested States and other United Nations and international and civil society agencies. As the Year draws to a close, we encourage UNESCO to pursue its tireless efforts to protect the cultural heritage of humankind. We also urge all States to support UNESCO in fulfilling its noble mission to convert international solidarity into joint action to protect our common cultural heritage.

On this occasion, I wish to express our profound gratitude for the participation of the Greek Minister of Culture and other representatives in this meeting. Greece, of course, has a great and ancient history and civilization and has amply contributed to the Mediterranean dialogue for millennia. We hope that mankind will be able to protect the heritage of dialogue and constructive tolerance among civilizations.

Mr. Venizelos (Greece)

Greece regards the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations to declare 2002 the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage as a major political event of international significance. We therefore take particular pleasure in attending today's special session and the various events organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This is an excellent opportunity to present before the Assembly three points of great interest with respect to Greek, as well as global, cultural heritage.

Greece is currently preparing for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The Olympic ideal and the noble tradition of the Olympic Games arouse deep emotions throughout the whole international community, bringing the world's people together around the Olympic flame and the Olympic truce. They are elements common to both Greek and global cultural heritage. They offer a characteristic example of the importance of the coexistence of material monuments, such as that of ancient Olympia, with intangible monuments such as the Olympic values of peace, competition and coexistence.

As a member of the European Union, Greece is organizing the most contemporary Olympic Games of the twenty-first century and has the unique advantage of being able to offer the authenticity of the Olympic sites and ideals. The Olympic Games are a very significant example of the important role played by cultural heritage in social and economic development.

In the context of the Olympic preparations, Greece is currently in the process of organizing, in association with UNESCO and the International Olympic Committee, a new international institution, the Cultural Olympiad, whose core message is the necessity of a culture of civilizations. It is essential that the international community acknowledge that, all too often, protracted military conflicts and major international problems are rooted in issues of religion, language, or ethnicity. In other words, they are, at their most profound level, cultural issues. The concept of a culture of civilizations is the only stance to ensure peaceful and meaningful dialogue between different cultures and to transform cultural differences into bridges of understanding and not into reasons for friction, misunderstanding and armed conflict.

However, the concept of a culture of civilizations also has its material aspect, involving the protection of symbolic monuments in regions of the world afflicted by hostilities, such as Afghanistan and Kosovo. A programme pursuing such protection is being promoted by the Cultural Olympiad in association with UNESCO.

As part of the preparations for the Olympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad, the New Acropolis Museum is currently under construction in Athens. It is our hope that the new museum will provide a home for the Parthenon Marbles in their entirety, which, unfortunately, are currently divided between Athens and London. We very much hope that the proposals we have put forward for the organization of a joint exhibition of the Parthenon sculptures in Athens, under the aegis of the Museum of the Acropolis and the British Museum, will eventually be accepted. Our proposal is to assure the return of the marbles to Athens in the legal form of a long-term loan from the British Museum to the new Museum of the Acropolis.

Greece is a country in which cultural heritage is celebrated every day. In Europe, as you know, we devote certain days each year to the commemoration of the common European cultural heritage. I believe it would be useful to devote one day each year to the celebration of our global cultural heritage -- a day when all the monuments belonging to the UNESCO list of world heritage sites will be open to the public, sending a message of the universality of cultural heritage.

The protection of the cultural heritage of the world's countries must be regarded as a duty resting in the hands of humanity as a whole. Such a responsibility will never be seen as anything more than a romantic ideal unless practical measures are taken providing international financial aid in support of that specific objective. It is my belief that such a provision must be included in any relevant resolution to be adopted by the General Assembly.

Mr. Wang Yingfan (China)

It is, indeed, timely and necessary that the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly proclaimed 2002 as the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage. Cultural heritage bears witness to the development of human society and serves as an essential carrier of human civilization. It has played a vital part in the promotion of mutual understanding among countries, as well as in the enhancement of communication among different cultures and civilizations. To protect and to make good use of world cultural heritage is a common responsibility of all people in the world. This year, in observation of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, UNESCO and other agencies have been organizing a series of events and activities. UNESCO has made tremendous efforts to raise public awareness throughout the world for the protection of cultural heritage. Its efforts are reaping very good results. For that, we would like to express our appreciation.

China is a country with an ancient civilization and a long history. China has numerous natural and cultural relics. They are not only the invaluable heritage of the Chinese nation but an important part of the world cultural and natural heritage, as well. The Chinese Government has always attached importance to the protection, construction, planning and management of scenic spots and places of cultural interest, as well as to historical sites. It has persistently followed the guiding principle of vigorous protection, integrated management, sound development and sustainable utilization. In the process of its economic development, China is making all efforts to preserve historical and cultural sites and has zealously devoted itself to reconciling history with modern times so that they may coexist harmoniously. China has so far registered 28 world cultural and natural heritage sites. It has always actively supported and participated in UNESCO's activities for the development and protection of the world cultural and natural heritage. It has already acceded to three international conventions, including the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. China has made its efforts and done its part in contributing to the protection of world cultural and natural heritage.

Cultural heritage belongs to not only one country and one nation but to all humankind. To protect cultural heritage is to protect the common history of humankind. As one of the sponsors of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, China stands ready to make concerted efforts with the rest of the international community to protect and to make good use of the rich historic and cultural heritage of humankind.

In observation of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, the Chinese Mission and UNESCO are currently sponsoring a World Cultural Heritage photo exhibition. We hope that this exhibition will play an active role in fostering the protection and use of cultural heritage.

Mr. McIvor (New Zealand)

New Zealand is pleased to acknowledge and join the celebration of 4 December as the day for Cultural Heritage, marking the end of the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage. We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to all involved in organizing the year, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its lead role.

There is a well-known mountain on New Zealand's North Island called Mount Tongariro. It is volcanic, a massive cone that, fortunately, remains dormant most of the time. This mountain, together with its surrounding land, became New Zealand's first national park well over 100 years ago. It was also the first of three New Zealand sites to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. Tongariro National Park is on the List as both a natural and cultural site, due to its largely unspoiled natural landscape and strong indigenous cultural association.

Tongariro is a part of New Zealand that we are pleased to share through the World Heritage Convention, as part of the international community's collective cultural heritage. Given its geographical location, it is also, incidentally, the first site of recognized global cultural heritage to be warmed by the sun of the new day. In a way, the world's commitment to the Year of Cultural Heritage began at the summit of that mountain in December 2001 and will end there too. Tongariro, including the cultural values which are part of its very being, has been strengthened by the International Year now drawing to a close.

New Zealand's official celebrations to mark this year's Day for Cultural Heritage began with a dawn ceremony performed this morning by the leaders of the Tangata Whenua, the indigenous people of New Zealand. These celebrations involved a wide range of ethnic communities which together make up the diverse cultural fabric of New Zealand society. These groups also participated in a series of activities that took place throughout New Zealand during the past year.

The South Pacific -- its ocean and lands -- covers almost one third of the earth's surface. It is rich in cultural heritage, of which those of us from that part of the world are naturally very proud. It is an honour for New Zealand to have announced just a few weeks ago its candidature for a seat on the World Heritage Committee at next year's elections, where we will want to represent our home region, including all that it offers to the world's cultural heritage.

New Zealand supports ongoing efforts by the international community to promote and protect the world's cultural heritage. As part of our commitment, New Zealand is pleased to offer its support for the draft resolution on the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage.

Mr. Maiga (Mali)

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