Forum:
Human Rights Council II
Issue:
Protection of World Heritage Sites in war zone nations
Student Officer: Ryan Joseph Sulit
Position:
President of the Human Rights Council II
Profile of the President
Hello delegates! My name is Ryan Joseph Sulit and I will be serving as the President Chair of
the Human Rights Council II at KLMUN VII. Currently, I attend Mont’ Kiara International School. Having
done MUN for the past four years, I have attended a total of 17 conferences so far, including ones such
as the Advisory Panel in THIMUN Singapore and the Historical Security Council at KLMUN VI.
KLMUNVII will be my 18th conference to date, and while it will be my fourth time chairing at a conference,
I have chaired many debates in the past. If you have any problems, concerns, or inquiries about the
issues and/or research reports, please feel free to contact me at ryanjoseph.sulit@yahoo.com.
History of the Committee
Formed by the United Nations General Assembly on the 15th of March, 2006, the Human Rights
Council is a body within the United Nations responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights
around the globe, as well as for addressing human rights violations and making recommendations on
them.
Under previous reform, the Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations
Commission on Human Rights.
Made up of 47 United Nations member states, the Human Rights
Council has worked with multiple non-governmental organizations in numerous situations over the years,
specializing in the maintenance of human rights in hot-spots and warzones. As a subsidiary body of the
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United Nations General Assembly, the Human Rights Council works with the Office of the High
Commissioner of Human Rights and its non-governmental counterparts. Among its aims are for the
promotion and protection of human rights, and an expectance of accountability from all member states of
the United Nations to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant legal
documents.
Statement of the Problem
Ever since the establishment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organizations (UNESCO), the protection and maintenance of World Heritage Sites across the globe has
been a prevalent issue on the United Nations Agenda. As a World Heritage Site, these special locations
are granted special legal status as being considered under the protection of the Geneva Convention,
specifically Article 53: “Protection of Cultural Objects and of Places of Worship.” Both under the Geneva
Convention, UNESCO’s Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage,
and other legal instruments, the protection of natural and cultural sites has been addressed in multiple
forms.
Unfortunately, World Heritage Sites in war-zone nations with undergoing conflicts are particularly
vulnerable to destruction, pillaging, or other actions that results in unfortunate consequences. In areas
where conflicting parties have chosen their battlegrounds on sacred places, places of cultural and
natural importance have taken second seat to the alternate goals of said parties. As a result of the
ignorance of proper guidelines and regulations concerning such locations, World Heritage Sites in
conflict-ridden locations such as Syria and Palestine have deteriorated in an alarming rate. Often, rebel
groups and movements choose various World Heritage sites as key base locations, and as such, these
renowned places take enormous collateral damage in the midst of battle. Normal consequences and
fines in the light of violations of Heritage Sites cannot be properly enforced due to the lack of law
enforcement and chaos in these general regions.
The proper identification of these violations
themselves are out of the control of the relevant authorities, as such violations almost always go
unrecorded and unobserved.
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World Heritage Sites most vulnerable in these situations are locations currently being used by
rebel groups or movements in member nations currently experienced civil conflicts. Militant groups utilize
and exploit their knowledge of World Heritage Sites in order to gain an extra level of pseudo-protection
from local government bodies. Local government bodies and authorities are then faced with a difficult
decision: either allow the militant activities in these locations to go unfettered in order to uphold the
UNESCO regulations, or uproot such militant bases at the collateral cost and possibility of damaging
these Heritage Sites in the process.
World Heritage Sites under military occupation has severely
hindered all efforts in addressing the issue as a whole.
With conflicts arising across the globe, the responsibility of improving the protection of World
Heritage Sites in areas of conflict is increasing in difficulty. Local authorities and the World Heritage
Committee itself has tried to curb the damages and effects of conflicts on said Heritage sites, but the
danger present in such endeavors limit the actions that can be taken. In addition to the damaging of
various Sites, looting and pillaging have caused precious artifacts to go missing from their respective
locations, most notably those of cultural heritage.
Definition of Key Terms
World Heritage Committee
Established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the World
Heritage Site Committee is responsible for choosing sites to be established as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. The committee primarily investigates locations around the world with significant cultural,
or natural importance to the “common heritage of humanity.” With aid from advisory bodies such as the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Council on Monuments and
Sites (ICOMOS), and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of
Cultural Property (ICCROM), the World Heritage Committee determines and evaluates the statuses of all
World Heritage Sites.
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World Heritage Site
Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a “natural or man-made site, area, or structure
recognized as being of outstanding international importance and therefore as deserving special
protection.” These Sites are to be designated and monitored by the World Heritage Committee.
List of World Heritage In Danger
Compiled by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the List of World Heritage in Danger was
established under Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention for the purpose of documenting World
Heritage Sites under conditions deemed to be “dangerous” or “of threat”; such dangers include
deterioration of materials, and damaging of structures as a result of natural, geological, or human
means.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “an agency of the United Nations set up in 1945 to
promote the exchange of information, ideas, and culture.”
Among its responsibilities are the
maintenance of World Heritage Sites around the world through its subsidiary World Heritage Committee.
World Heritage Convention
Adopted in the aftermath of the Aswan Dam cultural preservation project, the World Heritage
Convention is the legal instrument holding precedent over all current procedures and regulations
concerning the designation, maintenance, and monitoring of World Heritage Sites.
Currently, 191
member nations have signed on and ratified the World Heritage Convention. It is officially known as the
Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
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Timeline of Events
Date
Description of event
May 14, 1954
The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of
Armed Conflict
November 16, 1972
Adoption of the “World Heritage Convention” by the seventeenth session of
the General Conference of UNESCO
June 27 – July 1, 1977
First Session of the World Heritage Committee
September 5 – 8, 1978
First List of World Heritage Sites released at the Second Session of the
World Heritage Committee
November, 1994
Global Strategy for a Representative, Balanced and Credible World Heritage
Site
Relevant International Actions/Past UN Efforts
Under UNESCO, the Human Rights Council, and other relevant organizations, multiple
conventions, treatises, and legal documents have been drafted all concerning the protection of World
Heritage Sites and similar places. Conferences and resolutions also exist that aid in this issue. These
include:

The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, 14 th
of May, 1954

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and National Heritage Site,
adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on the 16th of November, 1972

Resolution Adopted by the 12th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage
Convention (on Global Strategy), WHC.03/14.GA/INF.8
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
Expert Meeting on the “Global Strategy” and thematic studies for a representative World Heritage
List, 18th Session of the World Heritage Committee, 12-17 November, 1994
Possible Solutions
With normal procedure of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee unviable in these conflictsituations, one solution required is to create a legal framework that properly identifies and prosecutes
individuals and/or parties responsible for the destruction or damaging of World Heritage Sites, whereby
such legal actions will occur at a period of time to be decided by UNESCO and other relevant advisory
bodies after the conflict has terminated. If individuals and/or parties who have made clear violations of
the World Heritage Site guidelines are let go, then it sets a dangerous legal precedent whereby future
individuals/parties will not hesitate to take a World Heritage Site as a result of a lack of enforcement.
In addition to resolving the legal issues after conflicts, there exists the issue of the prevention of
damage to World Heritage Sites currently in the middle of conflict. Sending United Nations personnel to
deal with such situations is out of the question, and persuading local militia to add to their list of duties
the protection of World Heritage Sites is also not likely. In truth, it would be up to the Human Rights
Council, with its connection with the World Heritage Convention, to decide as to whether or not direct
intervention in situations such as this would be the best option.
Bibliography
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<http://whc.unesco.org/en/advisorybodies/>.
"Definition: UNESCO." Oxford Dictionary. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/UNESCO>.
"Definition: World Heritage Site." Oxford Dictionary. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/World-Heritage-Site>.
Expert Meeting on the "Global Strategy" and Thematic Studies for a Representative World Heritage List.
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Rep. Paris: n.p., 1994. UNESCO - World Heritage Committee. United Nations. Web. 26 Dec.
2014. <http://whc.unesco.org/archive/global94.htm>.
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Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Dec. 2014. <http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/12/travel/greenpeace-nazcalines-damage/>.
"List of World Heritage in Danger." UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations, n.d. Web. 26 Dec.
2014. <http://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/>.
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<http%3A%2F%2Fwhc.unesco.org%2Fen%2Fabout%2F>.
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