FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums condemns the targeting of cultural sites for destruction. Our nation has a long history of safeguarding cultural resources, particularly in nations experiencing political turmoil and armed conflict. Strikes against cultural sites anywhere in the world are a threat to our global heritage and contradicts treaties signed by the United States to protect humankind’s cultural heritage in the 1954 Hague Convention for the protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347, and 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. We expect the United States Government to comply with international law and urge the US Government to reaffirm its commitment to its longstanding practice of not targeting cultural sites during peace or wartime.
The Alliance encourages members and advocates to contact their legislators to let them know the museum community condemns the targeting of cultural sites for destruction and urges the United States Government to reaffirm its commitment to its longstanding practice of not targeting cultural sites during peace or wartime.
Additional resources:
UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954)
UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)
United Nations Security Council S/RES/2347 (2017)
AAM Issue Brief: Public Diplomacy and the Protection of Cultural Property (2017)
AAM article: A Call To Action: An update on international cultural property protection (2018)
About the American Alliance of Museums
The American Alliance of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. Representing more than 35,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.
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Press Contact:
Natanya Khashan
nkhashan@aam-us.org
Recognize that foreign militaries frequently use civilian communities and schools as well as historical and cultural sites to serve as sniper posts, base artillery, air defense missiles, and store munitions in hope that western militaries will not target the location or for propaganda purposes in case of damage. That practice also needs to be condemned as it turns those locations into legitimate targets. I served in Afghanistan in 2009. I agree about the importance of protecting cultural sites, but I place a higher priority in protecting the lives of our servicemembers