UN: Cultural Heritage in War

[Jesioneka]

The United Nations,

Believing that notable articles of cultural heritage constitute a legacy for all people,

Noting the heightened risk to such articles during armed conflict,

Convinced that the preservation of cultural heritage for all is a goal both worthy of and requiring international action and agreement,

Equally not wishing to unduly infringe upon the sovereign territory and right to self-defence of its member nations:

1. Defines, for the purposes of this resolution, "cultural heritage" as:
- articles of great cultural value, and especially those bearing archaeological, artistic, historical or religious significance;
- areas and buildings primarily used for the storage and display of such items, such as galleries, libraries and museums;
- sites officially recognised as being used solely for archaeological excavation;
- any other articles agreed on by parties to the armed conflict as protected cultural property, or designated as such in international law;

2. Declares that this resolution shall be considered to apply in times of armed conflict, which shall include:
- armed conflict between two or more state parties;
- civil war recognised as such by both internal and external parties;
- armed insurrection or civil disturbance leading to a declaration of a state of emergency;

3. Requires member nations to refrain from, and prevent to the best abilities their forces and the civilian populations of areas under their control from engaging in:
- the deliberate and targeted destruction or damage of cultural heritage, except where such articles are being used for military purposes by opposing forces, or where damage to such articles is unavoidable, or necessary for the preservation of military or civilian life;
- the desecration, vandalism, theft or taking as reparations of cultural heritage;
- the use of sites of cultural heritage for any military purposes, excepting the treatment of casualties;

4. Condemns all acts in contravention of this resolution and calls upon member nations to investigate, try, and where found guilty punish those involved in such acts.

[Sinn Féin's Ireland]

I like this one...

[The Candy Lane]

its a great idea but i think theres a few to many loop holes.
who classifies it as an archeological site? i think it should be a neutral nation

[Deutsch-Suedwestafrika]

What if the only notable areas and buildings of a nation are military installations? If the nation revolves around warfare, wouldn't its cultural heritage be these installations? Would, for example, the Pentagon be protected by this UN resolution if the United States considered the compound part of its cultural heritage?

[The States of Eridani]

If someone attacks the Pentagon I think the UN wouldn't really be worries whether it's a part of the US's "cultural heritage" or not...

[Sinn Féin's Ireland]

Good points. I think cultural heritage denotes some kind of historical matter. The pentagon isn't heritage as such; it's still in use, and as such whilst it has the potential to become heritage of a valuable cultural nature, it is still a dangerous hive of military plotting

However, difficult to judge nonetheless.