PARIS, July 18 (Saba) - UNESCO on Saturday announced an Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen's Cultural Heritage.

The plan, announced upon the conclusion of a two-day expert meeting held at UNESCO, responds to the continued threat the ongoing conflict poses to Yemen's tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

"It is evident that the destruction of their culture directly affects the identity, dignity and future of the Yemeni people, and moreover their ability to believe in the future," UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said.

The Action Plan is also seen within the leading role UNESCO is undertaking to coordinate an international response through the Global Coalition and the "Unite4Heritage" campaign.

Ms. Bokova called on the international community to support the plan. "To succeed, this plan must be funded, and it is clear that local government does not have the resources to undertake these efforts alone," she said. "I ask you to mobilize your institutions and your contacts to support UNESCO and the Yemeni authorities to implement this action plan."

The Action Plan, developed by UNESCO, its institutional partners and relevant Yemeni national institutions, aims to respond to the recent widespread destruction of important heritage sites and museums caused by the conflict, as well as to the disruption of intangible heritage expressions.

It also addresses three main areas of work, including awareness-raising and advocacy; information gathering and coordination; as well as technical assistance through risk-mitigation measures on the ground and capacity building initiatives.

Participants in the meeting included experts in built heritage, archaeology, intangible cultural heritage, handicrafts, museums and archives, as well as representatives of key institutions involved in cultural heritage protection and the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property, such as INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, IFLA, ICOM, ICOMOS, ICCROM and ICA.

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Saba