The UNESCO on Thursday called for the preservation of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage in its diversity, and taking all precautions to protect the country’s historic assets from “damage and looting”, amid deepening crisis in the war-torn nation since the Taliban takeover. In a statement, the UNESCO also reminded of the “deliberate destruction” of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas, a world heritage site in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley, in 2001.
Amid the rapidly unfolding events, and 20 years after the deliberate destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called for preservation of cultural heritage of Afghanistan, the statement said. Azoulay shared the UNESCO statement and tweeted, “We are calling for the preservation of #Afganisthan cultural heritage in its diversity, in full respect of international law, and for taking all necessary precautions to spare and protect cultural heritage from damage and looting.”
The UNESCO early this year marked 20 years of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas. “The empty niches of the giant Buddhas in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan are a perpetual reminder of our duty to protect cultural heritage, and what future generations stand to lose if we do not. Today, these niches are inscribed on the World Heritage List,” it had said. “The tragic destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in March 2001, which was broadcast across the globe, led to a global recognition of the need to protect cultural heritage at risk,” the UNESCO had said.
News Source : TOI
