An introductory training on civil military cooperation within the framework of the 1999 Second Protocol of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict will be implemented in Georgia during the coming months.
This activity is part of several initiatives promoted within the framework of War Free World Heritage Listed Cities project currently being implemented preparing for the nomination of the world heritage sites of Byblos (Lebanon) and Mtskheta (Georgia) to the status of enhanced protection, which so far represents the highest possible level of protection granted to heritage of the highest value for humanity in areas of conflict.
The War Free World Heritage Listed Cities project is supported with a EU grant within the ENPI CIUDAD (Cooperation in Urban Development and Dialogue) programme. The overall idea behind this project is that the protection of world heritage sites is a shared responsibility of the entire humanity, of each and every individual worldwide.
The project main objective is to foster urban governance for world heritage sites and their surroundings giving emphasis to the role played by local authorities to secure their protection including under extreme conditions posed by natural disasters and armed conflicts.
The training will be attended by Georgian relevant civil and military experts from national and local authorities, concerned NGOs, and experts. Based on a very articulated programme, this training is customised to simulate a variety of possible scenario that may arise in the specific context of the city of Mtskheta and its surrounding territory. Highly reputed international civil and military experts from several national and international organisations will be involved in this initiative.
Sustainability ex-post project implementation will be secured also through international cooperation including further and more specialised trainings aimed to a progressive improvement of the preventive measures designed within the project framework for the two world heritage sites.
More information will be available on www.warfreeheritage.net