Blue Shield International

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blue Shield International
(BSI)
The protective symbol of the blue and white shield
purpose Protection of cultural property
President: Karl Habsburg-Lothringen
Establishment date: 1996
Seat : The hague
Website: theblueshield.org/

Blue Shield International is an international and UNESCO-affiliated organization based in The Hague for the protection of cultural property from the effects of war , armed conflict and disaster .

In 1996, the predecessor institution International Committee of the Blue Shield (English International Committee of the Blue Shield ; French Comité International du Bouclier Bleu ) was founded.

Blue Shield is a close partner organization of the UN , the peacekeeping forces of the United Nations and UNESCO and cooperates with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement .

organization

The most important activities are the support and further development of international cooperation, deployments for the actual implementation of international cultural protection agreements as well as local, regional and national activities in the field of cultural property protection . The Blue Shield Organization consists of Blue Shield International, formed from the merged organizations International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) and the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS), and the National Committees of the Blue Shield (NCBS).

While in many wars the freedom of movement of the United Nations personnel is significantly restricted due to security concerns, Blue Shield is viewed as particularly suitable due to its structure to act flexibly and autonomously in really dangerous armed conflicts. Joris Kila, art historian for Blue Shield and the “Competence Center for Cultural Heritage” at the University of Vienna, sums it up as follows: "Unesco and other institutions consider it too dangerous to inspect the places in Libya themselves, whether they are now were damaged or not. So Karl von Habsburg and I decided that we had to do it ourselves. We were in Ras-Almergib, a site right next to Leptis Magna, where a radar and air defense station of the Gaddafi troops was destroyed, less than 15 meters removed from a Roman fort that remained intact. The ancient site was on our list. " There is therefore intensive cooperation between Blue Shield, the United Nations and UNESCO when it comes to protecting cultural property .

Basically, cultural assets such as archaeological finds, excavation sites , archives , libraries , museums and monuments are the particularly sensitive cultural memory and mostly also the economic basis (such as tourism ) of a state, a municipality or a region. The destruction or the robbery of this cultural heritage and the resulting consequences is then also one of the primary goals in many modern armed conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. According to UNESCO or the United Nations, however, the protection of cultural property and the preservation of the growing cultural diversity are also fundamentally necessary for qualitative economic growth . During a mission in Lebanon in April 2019 , President of Blue Shield International Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen explains the further connection between the destruction of cultural property and the cause of flight : “Cultural goods are part of the identity of the people who live in a certain place. If you destroy their culture, you also destroy their identity. Many people are uprooted, often no longer have any prospects and as a result flee from their homeland ”.

The organization tries with extensive undertakings to prevent cultural heritage from being permanently damaged, destroyed or stolen. Four international professional associations from the fields of archiving , museums , preservation of monuments and libraries (ICA, ICOM, ICOMOS, IFLA) were involved in the founding of the International Blue Shield Committee . In 2005 the “Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations” (the international umbrella organization for the field of audiovisual archives ) also joined the committee. The committee consisted of up to two representatives from each of the five participating organizations, one of whom was usually the respective general secretary. Since 2006, in addition to the International Committee (ICBS), there has also been an initial task force with regard to the coordination of the individual national Blue Shield organizations and, from 2008, the Association of the National Committees of the Blue Shield (ANCBS). In 2008, Karl von Habsburg was elected President of the ANCBS. The entire activities of the national and international Blue Shield organizations are now bundled in "Blue Shield International" as of 2017 and include the support and coordination of cooperation in the field of cultural property protection at local, regional, national and international level.

In accordance with its adopted in April 2000 Charter operates the Committee on the principles of joint action (English joint actions ), independence (English independence ), neutrality (English neutrality ), the professional and factual knowledge (English professionalism ), the respect for cultural Identity (English respect of cultural identity ) and the non-profit activity (English work on non-profit basis ). It cooperates with other organizations in the field of cultural property protection and international humanitarian law , in particular the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). According to the then UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, the cooperation between UNESCO and Blue Shield International is to be further strengthened. “UNESCO and Blue Shield International share a common goal” and “We seek to protect cultural property, and, by extension, humanity's cultural legacy”, said Bokova in October 2017 at a meeting of Blue Shield International.

Despite the partial dissolution of state structures and the very unclear security situation as a result of the wars and unrest in Iraq , Syria , Mali , Egypt and Libya, the employees of Blue Shield and its national organizations have carried out robust efforts to protect the cultural assets there. This also applies to the collection and labeling of cultural assets to be protected, the creation of “ no-strike lists ” (which contain geodata points and information on important cultural monuments) with local experts, the linking of civil and military structures and the training of local military personnel for protection of cultural property. In 2014 the British Blue Shied Organization published a “No-strike list” for Aleppo , which was addressed to all armed forces. The selection of the objects to be entered illustrates the dilemma that the protection of cultural property is always selective and comes up against immanent limits. The “No-strike list” for Yemen , for example, processed information from Google Earth with historical field recordings and around 40,000 photos of the Royal Air Force (RAF) from the 1950s to 1970s. When NATO wanted to take action in Libya, Blue Shield drew up a “no-strike list”, a list of important sites, museums and libraries that must not be bombed under any circumstances. This list was handed over to NATO. With regard to the conflicts in Mali and Timbuktu, extensive "no-strike lists" of cultural assets were drawn up. During the riots and wars in the Caucasus, lists were drawn up not only with experts, but also based on cooperation with the local population, some of whom even laid out signs on the ground to draw attention to cultural assets. From August 2002 the Dutch Blue Shield was deployed to protect Czech museums after the flood disaster. After the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010, there was a robust operation by Blue Shield to protect local cultural assets. In 2019 there were in Lebanon a collaboration between the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon with Blue Shield International. While most NGOs focus their work on the phase before and after a conflict or crisis and leave the country when the problems enter their “hot” phase, the Blue Shield employees are also on site if there are security concerns.

In some cases, the Blue Shield experts create documents and information brochures about the local cultural assets, which, as in the Mosul case, are published in English, Arabic and Kurdish. From the perspective of Blue Shield, it is not enough to develop and adopt international legal norms such as the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict or the Doha Statement of the “Conference of 'Ulamâ on Islam and Cultural Heritage”. It is necessary to implement and implement these standards effectively globally. It is also about preventing the stealing of antiquities and trading in stolen cultural goods.

As a result of the destruction of cultural assets through armed conflicts, war and unrest in Iraq, Syria, Mali or Afghanistan, but also through earthquakes such as Haiti or Nepal, cooperation between Blue Shield and national armed forces such as the US Army or developed by the British Army . Troops are trained and supported together with other specialists such as the Archaeological Institute of America or the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, among other things, in the forward-looking protection of cultural property. For legal reasons, too, there are many joint projects between museums , libraries and archives on the one hand and the local Blue Shield organizations on the other. In the event of disasters with regard to these cultural property carriers, local alliances which are ideally mediated or organized by Blue Shield and set up as necessary, including help from accessible third countries, should achieve rapid damage limitation.

Another important task of Blue Shield is seen in its monitoring / “early warning” function, which can also lead to the preparation of support actions under the aegis of UNESCO. The establishment of an early warning system of the "field offices" of the partner organizations UNESCO and Blue Shield is to be aimed for and the Secretary General of the United Nations is to be informed accordingly if the cultural heritage and cultural diversity are at risk. A robust cultural protection intervention in the sense of a “Responsibility to Protect Heritage” can then basically mean military security transports, militarily monitored no-fly zones, but also demilitarized “safe havens” or peacekeeping troops with a focus on cultural heritage. Together with UN institutions, UNESCO and experienced partners such as Blue Shield, evacuations of movable cultural assets that are likely to become more frequent and transfers to safe places of refuge should in future be organized. UNESCO and Blue Shield regularly try to evaluate and discuss the results of the individual missions. According to the President of Blue Shield, Karl von Habsburg, it is crucial to be on site quickly when protecting cultural assets. “We know the importance to be fast and in a place where there is a potential conflict or an actual conflict,” says Habsburg, “you have to be there really fast to make an assessment and to see what you can do to immediately help. ”

Internationally, the employees of Blue Shield are often referred to as the new "Monuments Men" because of their sometimes dangerous missions - with regard to the history of the Roberts Commission, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section (MFAA), a division of the US -Army for the protection of works of art during the Second World War, and the film Monuments Men - Unusual Heroes . Comparisons were even made to the movie character Indiana Jones and his adventures.

The President of Blue Shield International is Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen (Austria); the other board members are Peter Stone (UK), Nancy Wilkie (USA), Bae Kidong (Korea) and Manana Tevzadze (Georgia) - all for the years 2017 to 2020. In autumn 2018 Agnes Husslein succeeded Ursula Stenzel as president elected by the Austrian National Committee of Blue Shield International.

As of 2018 there are national Blue Shield organizations in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Curacao, Denmark, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Guatemala, Haiti, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Madagascar, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Austria, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Czech Republic, Ukraine and the USA.

Located in countries like Afghanistan, Egypt, Bolivia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Palestine, Peru, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, Turkey, Hungary and Venezuela a national Blue Shield organization is being set up. Habsburg has also invited Iran to work with Blue Shield International.

The organizations CHIEF (Cultural Heritage International Emergency Force), Heritage for Peace, Maniscalco, Prince Claus Fund - Cultural Emergency Response (CER), Walk of Truth and WATCH are linked to Blue Shield International and the protection of cultural assets.

history

The most important reason for the establishment of the International Committee of the Blue Shield was the massive destruction of cultural assets during the armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia , in particular the bombing of the old town of Dubrovnik and the destruction of the Stari most bridge in the Herzegovinian city ​​of Mostar . The symbol that gives it its name is the blue and white shield, which is based on the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and acts as a protective symbol for cultural property agreed under international law . With the conclusion of the second protocol to the convention in 1999, the committee assumed a role defined by international law. According to Articles 11 and 27 of the Protocol, it has an advisory role in the implementation of the Agreement and its Additional Protocols.

The establishment of the ICBS was followed by the establishment of national Blue Shield committees, of which 28 currently exist and more are planned or in the process of being established. The " Association of the National Committees of the Blue Shield " (English Association of the National Committees of the Blue Shield , ANCBS) based in the Dutch city of The Hague acts as their umbrella organization . The structure resulting from the International Committee, the national committees and their association is similar to the structure of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement .

Awards

The organization awards prizes to people who have made a name for themselves in the protection of cultural property.

In 2012 Joris Kila received the Blue Shield Award.

Blue Shield International presented an honorary award in 2017 to Major Corine Wegener (USA) and Colonel Keba Sangare (Mali) for their commitment to the protection of cultural assets. Colonel Sangare prevented the use of the air force during a battle in Timbuktu in 2015 and only deployed ground troops, thus preventing major damage to the city.

Partner organizations

Conventions

literature

  • Tom A. Adami: Future perfect? Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Archives - the United Nations in Sudan. Journal of the Society of Archivists, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2009, pp. 3-26.
  • Alex W. Barker: Building a US Committee of the Blue Shield to Protect Cultural Property in the Event of the Armed Conflict. Anthropology News (48:17), Nov. 2007.
  • Douglas Cox: National archives and international conflicts: the Society of American Archivists and war. American Archivist (74, No. 2), 2011, pp. 451-481.
  • Jason Felch, Ron Frammolino: Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World's Richest Museum. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.
  • Jordan Ferraro, Jane Henderson: Identifying features of effective emergency response plans. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, No. 50, 2011, pp. 35-38.
  • Joris Kila: Heritage Under Siege: Military Implementation of Cultural Property Protection Following the 1954 Hague Convention. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2012.
  • Roger O'Keefe, Camille Péron, Tofig Musayev, Gianluca Ferrari: Protection of Cultural Property. Military Manual. UNESCO, 2016.
  • Corine Koch (trans., Ed.): A Blue Shield for the Protection of our Endangered Cultural Heritage. International Preservation Issues Number Four. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Paris 2003, ISBN 2-91-274302-8 .
  • George P. Mackenzie: Working for the Protection of the World's Cultural Heritage: The International Committee of the Blue Shield. In: Journal of the Society of Archivists. 24 (1) / 2000, Routledge & The Society of Archivists, ISSN  1465-3907 , pp. 5-10.
  • Lee Meadowcroft: Impact of Conflict on Cultural Property. A review of the international protection afforded to heritage sites and an assessment of its effectiveness. University of Reading, 2014.
  • Jadranka Petrovic: The Old Bridge of Mostar and Increasing Respect for Cultural Property in Armed Conflict. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden / Boston 2013.
  • Lawrence Rothfield (Ed.): Antiquities under Siege: Cultural Heritage Protection after the Iraq War. AltaMira Press, 2008.
  • PJC Schimmelpenninck van der Oije: Saving the Past, Present and Future, Thoughts on Mobilizing International Protection for Cultural Property During Armed Conflict. In: M. Matthee, BCA Toebs, M. Brus (Eds.): Armed Conflict and International Law - In Search of the Human Face, Liber amicorum in Memory of Avril McDonald. The Hague 2013.
  • Sabine von Schorlemer: Destruction of cultural assets. The eradication of cultural heritage in crisis countries as a challenge for the United Nations. Nomos, 2016.
  • Ross Shimmon: The International Committee of the Blue Shield 1998-2004: An Overview. In: Alexandria. The Journal of National and International Library and Information Issues. 16 (3) / 2004. Ashgate Publishing & the British Library, ISSN  0955-7490 , pp. 133-141.
  • Peter G. Stone: Cultural Heritage, Ethics, and the Military. Boydell Press, Woodbridge, Suffolk / Rochester, NY 2011.
  • Jiri Toman: Cultural Property in War: Improvement in Protection. UNESCO, 2009.
  • Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff: The Blue Shield Initiative. Joining Efforts to Preserve our Cultural Heritage in Danger. In: Liber Quarterly. The Journal of European Research Libraries. 12 (2-3) / 2002, Utrecht Publishing & Archiving Services, ISSN  1435-5205 , pp. 275-282.
  • Thomas G. Weiss, Nina Connelly: Cultural Cleansing and Mass Atrocities. Protecting Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict Zones. J. Paul Getty Trust Occasional Papers in Cultural Heritage Policy, Number 1/2017.
  • Nout van Woudenberg, Liesbeth Lijnzaad (ed.): Protecting cultural property in times of conflict. An Insight into the 1999 Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2010.
  • James A. Zeidler, Joris D. Kila: Cultural Heritage in the Crosshairs: Protecting Cultural Property during Conflict. Brill, Leiden 2013.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Karl Habsburg in an interview. Misuse of cultural assets is a criminal offense. In: Wiener Zeitung, June 29, 2012.
  2. ↑ UNIFIL - Action plan to preserve heritage sites during conflict, April 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ The ICRC and the Blue Shield signed a Memorandum of Understanding, February 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ Joris Kila in an interview in Monument Men of the Present. Protection against bombs and looting. In: Kölner Stadt Anzeiger, February 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Sabine von Schorlemer: Destruction of cultural assets. The eradication of cultural heritage in crisis countries as a challenge for the United Nations. 2016, p. 785ff.
  6. ↑ Friedrich Schipper: Iconoclasm: The global norms for the protection of cultural property do not apply. In: Der Standard, March 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ Eric Gibson: The Destruction of Cultural Heritage Should be a War Crime. In: The Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2015.
  8. ^ Roger O'Keefe, Camille Péron, Tofig Musayev, Gianluca Ferrari: Protection of Cultural Property. Military Manual. UNESCO, 2016, pp. 73ff.
  9. ↑ Jyot Hosagrahar: Culture: at the heart of SDGs. UNESCO courier, April – June 2017.
  10. ^ Rick Szostak: The Causes of Economic Growth: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Springer Science & Business Media, 2009, ISBN 9783540922827 .
  11. ^ Karl von Habsburg on a mission in Lebanon. Retrieved July 19, 2019 .
  12. ↑ UNESCO Director-General calls for stronger cooperation for heritage protection at the Blue Shield International General Assembly. UNESCO broadcast on September 13, 2017.
  13. ^ Corine Wegener, Marjan Otter: Cultural Property at War: Protecting Heritage during Armed Conflict. In: The Getty Conservation Institute, Newsletter 23.1, Spring 2008.
  14. ↑ Nigel Pollard: Syria monuments damage 'akin to looting Welsh castles'. In: BBC News, January 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ Hans Haider in an interview with Karl Habsburg Misuse of cultural assets is a criminal offense. In: Wiener Zeitung, June 29, 2012.
  16. ↑ Aisling Irwin: A no-strike list may shield Yemen's ancient treasures from war. In: Daily News, January 23, 2017.
  17. ↑ Peter G. Stone: A Four-Tier Approach to the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. Antiquity 87, No. 335 (March 2013), pp. 166-177.
  18. ^ Dale Stephens, Tara Gutman: Destruction of Mosul's Great Mosque holds a heritage lesson for Australia. In: The Guardian, June 30, 2017.
  19. ^ Sabine von Schorlemer: Destruction of cultural assets. The eradication of cultural heritage in crisis countries as a challenge for the United Nations. 2016, p. 812.
  20. ↑ Aisling Irwin: A no-strike list may shield Yemen's ancient treasures from war. In: Daily News, January 23, 2017.
  21. ↑ Joris Kila in an interview in Monument Men of the Present. Protection against bombs and looting. In: Kölner Stadt Anzeiger, February 20, 2014.
  22. ↑ Peter Stone: War and Heritage . Getty Conservation Institute. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  23. ↑ Karl Habsburg-Lothringen in an interview with Hans Haider Abuse of cultural assets is a criminal offense. In: Wiener Zeitung, June 29, 2012.
  24. ^ Corine Wegener, Marjan Otter: Cultural Property at War: Protecting Heritage during Armed Conflict. In: The Getty Conservation Institute, Newsletter 23.1, Spring 2008.
  25. ^ Stevenson Swanson: Help Haiti's art community . Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  26. ↑ Jacqueline Trescott: Helping Haiti's artists pick up the pieces; Smithsonian sponsors appearances at Folklife Festival, conservation program at home . In: Washington Post , June 23, 2010. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015 Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved November 7, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.highbeam.com 
  27. ↑ Cf. Christoph Matzl: Karl von Habsburg on a mission in Lebanon. In: Die Kronenzeitung, April 28, 2019.
  28. ↑ See Sabine von Schorlemer: Destruction of cultural assets. The eradication of cultural heritage in crisis countries as a challenge for the United Nations. 2016, p. 784ff .; Corine Wegener, Marjan Otter: Cultural Property at War: Protecting Heritage during Armed Conflict. In: The Getty Conservation Institute, Newsletter 23.1, Spring 2008.
  29. ^ Katharyn Hanson, Richard Kurin: Why We Need to Fight to Save Mosul's Cultural Heritage. In: Smithsonian Magazine, February 9, 2017.
  30. ↑ Friedrich Schipper: Iconoclasm: The global norms for the protection of cultural property do not apply. In: Der Standard, March 6, 2015.
  31. ^ Nico Hines: The Last Crusade. Real-Life Indiana Jones Vs. ISIS. In: The Daily Beast, May 7, 2015.
  32. ^ Corine Wegener, Marjan Otter: Cultural Property at War: Protecting Heritage during Armed Conflict. In: The Getty Conservation Institute, Newsletter 23.1, Spring 2008.
  33. ↑ Eden Stiffman: Cultural Preservation in Disasters, War Zones. Presents Big Challenges. In: The Chronicle Of Philanthropy, May 11, 2015.
  34. ↑ Peter Stone: War and Heritage . Getty Conservation Institute. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  35. ↑ cf. z. B. Marilyn E. Phelan: Museum Law: A Guide for Officers, Directors, and Counsel. 2014, p. 419ff.
  36. ↑ Markus Walz (Ed.): Handbook Museum: History, Tasks, Perspectives. 2016, p. 238ff.
  37. ^ Sabine von Schorlemer: Destruction of cultural assets. The eradication of cultural heritage in crisis countries as a challenge for the United Nations. 2016, p. 871ff.
  38. ^ Sabine von Schorlemer: Destruction of cultural assets. The eradication of cultural heritage in crisis countries as a challenge for the United Nations. 2016, p. 882ff.
  39. ↑ UNESCO convenes Libyan and international experts meeting for the safeguard of Libya's cultural heritage. UNESCO World Heritage Center - News, October 21, 2011.
  40. ^ Protecting Libya's heritage. NATO News, January 4, 2012.
  41. ↑ Peter Stone: Monuments Men: protecting cultural heritage in war zones. In: Apollo - The International Art Magazine, February 2, 2015.
  42. ^ Robert Bevan: George Clooney on The Monuments Men and the great art escape. In: The Times, January 18, 2014.
  43. ↑ Joris Kila in an interview in Monument Men of the Present. Protection against bombs and looting. In: Kölner Stadt Anzeiger, February 20, 2014.
  44. ^ Nico Hines: The Last Crusade. Real-Life Indiana Jones Vs. ISIS. In: The Daily Beast, May 7, 2015.
  45. ↑ Tanja Bernsau: History of the "Monuments Men" repeats itself. Artresearch Service, September 14, 2013.
  46. ^ Maurizio Molinari : Una squadra di Indiana Jones per salvare arte e storia dall'Isis. In: La Stampa, July 11, 2015.
  47. ↑ Agnes Husslein-Arco is 65: Art connoisseur on the smooth society floor. Article dated May 18, 2019, accessed May 18, 2019.
  48. ↑ Blue Shield Austria elects Agnes Husslein-Arco as its new president. OTS announcement of October 3, 2018, accessed on May 18, 2019.
  49. ↑ See Iran Invited to Join Int'l Heritage Protection Body. In: Iranian Financial Tribune, July 31, 2018.
  50. ↑ Typoheads GmbH: The role of the military in the protection of cultural goods. Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
  51. ↑ getty.edu: Cultural Cleansing and Mass Atrocities