Government Tackles International Cultural Destruction
• Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has described cultural destruction as a shocking threat to the world’s heritage and an affront to our common human values
• Government will introduce new legislation to ratify the Hague Convention
• The Chancellor is to commit to a new fund to specifically protect cultural heritage and recovery from acts of destruction
• The Culture Secretary will call together a summit in September of leading cultural figures to tackle cultural destruction
Henry Owen-John, Head of International Advice at Historic England said:
We welcome Government’s plan to introduce legislation to ratify the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. It is something we have consistently advised that Government should do – it will clearly state the UK’s commitment to the protection of internationally significant cultural property and the fund will help in the practical application of the Convention in places at risk of serious damage. Our role will be to advise government on the content of the forthcoming legislation, particularly in relation to the identification of buildings and monuments within the UK that will be covered by the terms of the convention.
