Seven countries and a US donor on Monday (March 20th) pledged $75.5 million to a UNESCO-backed fund aimed at protecting the world's cultural heritage against war and terrorism, AFP reported.
French President François Hollande hosted the gathering at the Louvre museum in Paris of influential art patrons and world leaders at the initiative of UNESCO, the UAE and France.
Their International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Zones (ALIPH), based in Geneva, aims to raise $100 million by 2019.
In locations such as Mosul in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria, "fanatics have engaged in trafficking, looting and the destruction of cultural heritage", Hollande said.
The funds will be used to help prevent the destruction of historic sites in conflict zones, combat the illicit trade in cultural artifacts and help restore damaged relics.
France pledged $30 million to the fund, followed by Saudi Arabia with $20 million and co-host UAE with $15 million.
A total of 40 countries pledged their support to the initiative at a conference in Abu Dhabi in December.
