{"id":100780,"date":"2024-02-21T15:34:28","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schillerinstitute.com\/?p=100780"},"modified":"2024-06-05T16:29:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T20:29:07","slug":"paris-schiller-institute-to-stage-afghan-civil-society-protest-exposing-unesco-sanctions-against-cultural-heritage-cooperation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schillerinstitute.com\/el\/blog\/2024\/02\/21\/paris-schiller-institute-to-stage-afghan-civil-society-protest-exposing-unesco-sanctions-against-cultural-heritage-cooperation\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Schiller Institute to Stage Afghan Civil Society Protest Exposing UNESCO Sanctions Against Cultural Heritage Cooperation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paris, Feb. 13, 2024 \u2013 On Thursday February 22, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm CET, members and supporters of the International Schiller Institute, founded and presided by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, will gather peacefully in front of one of the main buildings of the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris (1, rue Miollis, Paris 75015). An appeal, endorsed by both Afghans and respected personalities of four continents, will be presented to the Secretary General and other officials of UNESCO.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it started<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a highly successful conference in Kabul last November by the Ibn-e-Sina Research & Development Center on the reconstruction of Afghanistan, a group of senior archaeologists of the Afghan Academy of Sciences (ASA), in discussion with the organizers and the invited experts of the Schiller Institute, suggested to launch a common appeal to UNESCO and Western governments to \u201clift the sanctions against cultural heritage cooperation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe regret profoundly<\/em>,\u201d<\/em> says the call, \u201cthat the Collective West, while weeping crocodile tears over destruction of the world\u2019s cultural heritage, has imposed a selective ban of scientific cooperation on nations mistakenly considered as \u2018opposed to its rules and values.\u2019 The complete freeze of all cooperation in the field of archaeology between France and both Syria and Afghanistan, is just one example of this tragedy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe dramatic neglect of international cultural institutions and donors to Afghanistan, the lack of sufficient funds in the field of cultural heritage protection, and the political treatment of international cultural heritage institutions have seriously endangered Afghanistan,\u201d<\/em> underscores the petition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specifically, \u201cUNESCO, which should raise its voice against any new form of \u2018cultural and scientific apartheid,\u2019<\/em> has repeatedly worsened the situation by politicizing issues beyond its prerogatives<\/em>.\u201d To conclude, the signers call \u201con the international community to immediately end this form of \u2018collective punishment,\u2019 which creates suffering and injustice, promotes ignorance, and endangers humanity\u2019s capacity for mutual respect and understanding.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living Spirit of Afghanistan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, over 550 signatures have been collected, mainly from both Afghan male (370) and female (140) citizens, whose socio-professional profiles indicate they truly represent the “living spirit of the nation”. <\/em>Among the signatories: 62 university lecturers, 27 doctors, 25 teachers, 25 members of the Afghan Academy of Sciences, 23 merchants, 16 civil and women’s rights activists, 16 engineers, 10 directors and deans of private and public universities, 7 political analysts, 6 journalists, 5 prosecutors, several business leaders and dozens of qualified professionals from various sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International support<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On four continents (Europe, Asia, America, Africa), senior archaeologists, scientists, researchers, members of the Academy of Sciences, historians and musicians from over 20 countries have welcomed and signed this appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Pino Arlacchi<\/strong>, a former member of the European Parliament and the former head of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was the first to sign. Award-winning American filmmaker Oliver Stone<\/strong> is a more recent signer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France, Syria, Italy, the UK and Russia, among the signers one finds senior researchers suffering the consequences of what some have identified as a “New Cultural Cold War.” Superseding the very different opinions they have on many questions, the signatories stand united on the core issue of this appeal: for science to progress, all players, beyond ideological, political and religious differences, and far from the geopolitical logic of \u201cblocs\u201d, must be able to exchange freely and cooperate, in particular to protect mankind\u2019s historical and cultural heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testifying to the firm commitment of the Afghan authorities, the petition has also been endorsed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Culture and Arts, and the Minister of Agriculture, as well as senior officials from the Ministries of Higher Education, Water and Energy, Mines, Finance, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe 46<\/em>th<\/em><\/sup> session of UNESCO\u2019s World Heritage Committee, to be held in New Delhi in July this year, offers UNESCO the opportunity to announce Afghanistan’s full return into world heritage cooperation, if we can have our voice heard,\u201d<\/em> says Karel Vereycken of the Paris Schiller Institute. \u201cWe certainly will not miss transmitting this appeal to HE Vishal V Sharma, India\u2019s permanent representative to UNESCO, recently nominated to make the Delhi 46<\/em>th<\/em><\/sup> session a success.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all information<\/strong>, interview requests in EN, FR and NL:
Karel Vereycken, Schiller Institute Paris<\/p>\n\n\n\n

00 33 (0)6 19 26 69 38<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read and Sign this Call<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n