Reconstruction of Iraqi institutions: Two international meetings 23-06-2005 - The international community is continuing its mobilization of aid for the Iraqi reconstruction process. Two international meetings dedicated to Iraq are currently taking place in Brussels and at UNESCO Headquarters.

Under the auspices of the European Union and the United States, an international conference whose aim is to examine the ways in which help can be provided to Iraq during its stabilisation and reconstruction processes is taking place in Brussels today. The Conference brings together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and other representatives of some 80 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan and the American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

From 22 to 24 June, at UNESCO Headquarters, the second meeting of the International Coordination Committee for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq (ICC) is taking place. The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, opened this second meeting of the ICC on Wednesday 21 June 2005 in the presence of the Iraqi Minister of Culture, Nuri Farhan al-Rawi, the Minister of State for Tourism and Antiquities, Hashim al-Hashimi, and numerous international experts.

The objective of this meeting, which comes after two UNESCO missions to Iraq and three international expert meetings, is to review all the ongoing actions, evaluate them and define new objectives that will guarantee the most appropriate protection and rehabilitation of the Iraqi cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible.

As the Director-General recalled in his opening address, the International Coordination Committee was established at the 167th session of the UNESCO Executive Board iin September 2003, under the auspices of the Iraqi Minister of Culture, with the aim of coordinating international aid destined for cultural heritage and all activities towards the protection of that heritage, as well as to elaborate an implementation plan that is in line with the most stringent international norms in this area.

UNESCO’s areas of priority action remain the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property, the training of art professionals, the protection of archaeological sites, the rehabilitation of historic buildings, and the prevention of illicit excavation and pillaging. “It is the protection of one of the world’s oldest cultural heritages that is in question, and it is our duty to do everything in our power to achieve this aim” (…) “Protection and rehabilitation are processes that require international mobilisation and long-term strategies”, declared Mr Matsuura. He expressed his satisfaction with the contributions already made by the Organization’s Member States for the implementation of projects on the ground. Financial contributions*, as well as technical assistance**, are integrated in the United Nations’ global intervention strategy for Iraq.

Regarding the rehabilitation of the Iraqi cultural heritage, a comprehensive programme was approved in May 2004 in the framework of the UNDG funds-in-trust. These contributions of UNDG and other funds-in-trust enabled UNESCO to be very active in Iraq and to implement activities, to a value of US$ 8 million, over the last two years despite the difficult conditions on the ground. “As soon as the United Nations security authorises us to do so, I shall open the UNESCO Office, which currently operates from Amman, in Baghdad. This would permit us to considerably reinforce our impact on the ground and to develop our capacity for implementation”, announced the Director-General. He expressed his wish to send a third experts mission as soon as the situation permits. The second phase of the UNDG programme will address capacity-building and training and thus will have implications for the national educational and cultural policies, essential for the success of all actions in the area of culture.

“The fact remains that culture is always in a difficult position, and negotiations are currently underway with potential donors in order to obtain financial contributions for cultural activities within the framework of the UNDG mechanism. I invite you thus to continue your commitment together with our Organization to provide all necessary assistance to the Iraqi Authorities in this regard, and I call upon the Member States to continue their financial generosity in order to allow for the implementation of the second phase of the UNDG culture programme”, declared Mr Matsuura before assuring the Iraqi Minister of Culture and Minister of State for Tourism and Antiquities that “the UNESCO Secretariat stands ready to give all assistance possible”.

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* Financial contributions have been made by the Governments of Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Flanders, Norway, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Lithuania
** Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Jordan, Egypt, Spain and Switzerland

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Source	Flash Info n°110-2005