UNESCO strengthens global action of countries to protect cultural properties in the event of armed conflict

From 1 to 4 December 2025, UNESCO convened States Parties to advance implementation of three UNESCO international treaties, namely the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999) .

The meetings reported on the UNESCO Civil-Military Alliance and its first International Forum, providing an engaging platform for dialogue between cultural professionals and defence actors on the protection of cultural properties in operational contexts.

Countries also emphasized the need to further expand the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection, which provides the highest level of international legal protection to properties of greatest importance for humanity. The List has now surpassed 100 properties, following the inscription of 32 new sites from Brazil, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ukraine and Yemen. States called for further inscriptions, particularly in conflict-prone regions.

States Parties welcomed the positive impact of international assistance granted by the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, a sub-organ of the 1999 Second Protocol which is supporting international cooperation and tangible action on the ground.

With UNESCO's financial support, safeguarding measures were reinforced for the Tatev and Tatevi Anapat monasteries in Armenia. In Gabon, a regional roadmap was developed for the implementation of the UNESCO Heritage for Peace Programme in Central Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing joint civil-military-judicial training alongside legislative reforms to protect the National Museum. Mauritania launched a national capacity-building roadmap, while Lebanon advanced conservation and risk-preparedness plans for 34 properties under provisional enhanced protection.

A dedicated Day of Technical Exchanges, supported by the Governments of Brazil, France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Swiss Confederation, enriched the intergovernmental discussions on civil-military cooperation and the establishment of refuges for cultural property, while featuring the presentation of the UNESCO Sites Navigator and related digital tools. It marked the launch of two international works, the new edition of the 'Dictionary of Comparative Cultural Heritage Law, comparing the legal terminology relating to cultural heritage in more than 10 European countries, and the Atlas of Latin American Heritage', a collective work bringing together more than 38 authors from 13 Latin American countries to explore Latin American identity and heritage.

Discussions reflected a shared understanding that protecting cultural heritage is a legal obligation which contributes to peace, resilience and reconciliation.