Unesco urges protection of Haiti's heritage : International

Paris, Feb 4 - The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation - has called for protection of Haiti's cultural heritage in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquake in the Caribbean nation. 'Haiti is the most important issue today,' Irina Bokova, director general of the Unesco, told reporters here Wednesday. The UN agency has a 'unique' role since it can help Haiti 'to re-establish its social fabric' through culture and education and also through work in the areas of science and communication, she said. 'We're here precisely to create this environment of a normal life, with optimism, looking toward the future,' without forgetting of course, the importance of respecting the memory of the estimated 200,000 fatalities, for each family and for the whole society, she said. Bokova, who took charge of Unesco last month, said she had already been in contact with some member states of the UN Security Council, so that necessary steps can be taken to protect Haiti's heritage. She said in response to a call by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Unesco is preparing a number of projects, worth $1.9 million, to be undertaken in Haiti. Another Unesco objective is 'to accelerate the already existing programmes,' to protect the Haitian historical sites like the Citadel, Sans-Souci and Ramiers National History Park. Unesco immediately mobilised 'all its forces' to see how it could best help Haiti after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake Jan 12 and also with an eye toward its eventual reconstruction, the Bulgarian diplomat said. --IANS/EFE snb/dg