Experts and government delegates from around the world will gather in Abu Dhabi on Friday (December 2nd), seeking to build a global alliance to protect cultural heritage threatened by extremism and conflict, AFP reported.
The UAE and France are leading the initiative to establish an international partnership that could respond to dangers such as those inflicted on ancient sites in Iraq and Syria by the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL).
The proposed partnership would include governments, public institutions, private groups, non-governmental organisations and experts.
The gathering will include French President François Hollande, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UNESCO director Irina Bokova, along with representatives of some 40 nations.
It comes "in response to the growing threats to some of the world's most important cultural resources arising from sustained periods of armed conflicts, acts of terrorism and illicit trafficking of cultural property", organisers said.
The conference aims to create an international Geneva-based fund of $100 million, according to French authorities behind the initiative.
