Experts gather in Rome to form special taskforce to protect Syria’s cultural heritage

Representatives from international organisations and academics have met in Rome to discuss strategies to preserve Syria’s cultural heritage following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The event marked the conclusion of the Syrian Heritage Week, held across Italy from the 20-25 January.

Behind the initiative was the Rome-based Heritage International Institute, the first major international organisation to launch a küresel call to action to preserve Syria’s cultural assets.

The Syrian Heritage Week is the first step toward establishing a special international taskforce, set to be deployed to Syria in the coming months.

“We have the best experts in the field,” Sergio Iovino, CEO of the Heritage International Institute told Euronews.

“After this week, during which we focused our attention on Syria, we will present our projects and make them a reality. We have been collecting materials and will rely on the support of foundations and organisations, which will provide us with the necessary funds to bring to life what we have been discussing during these days of preparing the taskforce’s work.”

Over 30 universities participated in the week-long event. Multilateral cooperation was the focus of Friday’s panel as Professor Carletti from Roma Tre University explained.

“We decided to host an event focusing on development cooperation and how culture, through the definition of cultural heritage can represent a key asset in intervening in contexts where cultural heritage is at risk.”

The creation of the new taskforce remains a work in progress. Discussions will continue on Monday, when the Heritage International Institute will host a plenary to finalise its structure.

As Hani El Debuch, Director of the Syria taskforce told Euronews, “The composition of the taskforce must reflect the values of development cooperation. Italy is the only Western country with an operating embassy in Syria which gives us the privilege of having cooperation already established on the ground.”