Blue Shield Australia

Seismic Reporting – CGI Newsletter – Spring 2015 looks at issues related to the destructive power of earthquakes, including preparedness and mitigation, managing seismic risk and retrofitting of historic structures, and a discussion of preservation engineering.

Today the Australian Government is tabling the Productivity Commission’s final report into natural disaster funding arrangements.  We commissioned this inquiry shortly after coming to Government as we recognise that the current system is flawed.

This follows yesterday’s tabling of an Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report into national recovery funding arrangements.

Both reports are critical of the current funding system:

• The Commission argues that governments nationally focus too much on recovery, at the expense of directing resources towards better-preparing for future disasters.
• The ANAO criticises the lack of oversight and accountability for recovery funding under successive Commonwealth governments, and highlights systemic issues with state and local government claims for ineligible expenditure.

While the Australian Government will always have a role in supporting states affected by natural disasters – and we will always stand ready to assist communities in need – the findings of these two independent bodies make it clear that change is needed.

Today I have written to my state counterparts foreshadowing consultations on the best way to address the findings of these reports.

I have made it clear that the Australian Government is not proposing any radical reductions in the funding support it provides to the states. Instead we will seek to pursue a more modest and gradual approach to getting the balance of mitigation and recovery funding right, in close consultation with state governments.

Mitigation funding will ensure the most disaster-prone states are able to address their greatest risks.  We want to work with the states to understand the scope of mitigation projects they wish to pursue, and find a way to support these projects without making dramatic cuts to recovery funding.

We also see merit in an upfront disaster funding system where the Australian Government provides grants to states based on an early assessment of disaster damage and impact, rather than the current system of reimbursing costs based on detailed rules.

Such a system would remove red-tape for all levels of government, and ensure states have more autonomy to recover from disasters in a way that best meets the needs of affected communities.

Importantly, the Productivity Commission report also raises a number of issues – including the need for better land use planning, and improved risk data and information sharing – which should be carefully considered by state and local governments.

The Government will provide a full response to the Productivity Commission’s final report following these consultations.

Media contact:  Rachelle Miller – 0475 804 886

This Year, Make a Lasting Impact with your MayDay Activities!

Help Blue Shield Australia with its Lost and Damaged Cultural Heritage Register initiative to gather data that can be used to reinforce advocacy and lobbying for greater support in disaster preparedness and risk mitigation. After a disaster (from natural and man-made disasters, conflict, accidents, to vandalism and theft) frequently there are few records, qualitative or quantitative, of what impacts disasters have had on our cultural heritage.

To address this gap in records Blue Shield Australia ask that your organisation respond to our short survey regarding the impact of disasters on collections. Please, pass the survey link on to your networks to help us build the case for greater support in this area. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6HZHZT5

The Nepal Cultural Emergency Crowdmap Initiative is the result of a combined effort by ICCROM, ICOMOS-ICORP. The initiative successful in gathering valuable information thanks to the contributions of several institutions namely, the Smithsonian Institution, USA, the Disaster Relief Task Force of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-DRTF) and UNESCO office in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Overview Report is available at http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Nepal-Cultural-Emergency-Crowdmap-Initiative-Overview-Report.pdf

A series of devastating earthquakes have struck Nepal over the weekend, causing loss of more than 2000 lives. The initial 7.8 magnitude quake, along with aftershocks as high as 6.7 magnitude, caused destruction and severe damage to the historic centre of Kathmandu and other heritage sites throughout the Kathmandu Valley. Quake-related damage has been reported throughout the region.

ICCROM project specialist Aparna Tandon, Rohit Jigyasu of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness – ICORP, and other partners have started the Kathmandu Cultural Emergency Crowdmap, which aims to collect information on the damage caused to cultural heritage sites and institutions in Nepal.

See http://icorp.icomos.org/index.php/news/60-nepal-earthquake for more information.

8 September 2014

by Abdulameer al Hamdani, Archaeologist, Iraq Heritage Senior Fellow – Iraq Heritage Report

March 2014

Blue Shield is the protective emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention, the basic international treaty formulating rules to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict. The Blue Shield network consists of organizations dealing with museums, archives, libraries, monuments and sites.

The Blue Shield’s mission is to work to protect the world’s cultural heritage threatened by armed conflict, natural and human-made disasters. For this reason, it places the expertise and network of its member organisations at the disposal of colleagues working in Iraq to support their actions in protecting the country’s heritage, and if necessary, in assessing subsequent recovery, restoration, and repair measures.

Website:
www.blueshield-international.org
Contact: Peter Stone, email: peter.stone@ncl.ac.uk, phone: +44 191 208 7095

17 June 2014

Blue Shield is appalled by the great suffering and loss of life in the current fighting in Iraq and expresses great concern about the safety of Iraq’s invaluable cultural and historical heritage.

Blue Shield urges all armed combatants to observe the international laws that protect cultural heritage and to act responsibly, safeguarding the testimony of Iraq’s unique history for the enrichment of future generations.

Iraq is home to some of the world’s oldest and most significant archaeological and cultural sites. Iraq has three UNESCO World Heritage sites and twelve tentative World Heritage sites. Iraq’s museums, particularly the national museum in Baghdad and the regional museum in Mosul, are repositories for countless irreplaceable artefacts that record this unique history.

In the event of international military action, Blue Shield calls on any participating countries to be mindful of obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols; the 1972 UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; the additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions; and customary international law to avoid targeting cultural heritage sites and repositories and to minimize collateral damage to cultural heritage wherever possible.

Iraq ratified the 1954 Hague Convention and its First Protocol in 1967, thereby acknowledging and committing to the protection and preservation of cultural heritage in the case of armed conflict. Blue Shield urges the international community to help Iraq fulfil its obligations to this Convention and also urges all parties to the conflict to abide by Iraq’s Antiquities Law, Law Number 55 of 2002.

Blue Shield is concerned that archaeological and cultural objects may be removed from museums, libraries, archives, and archaeological sites and placed on the illegal international art market. The actions of all governments in preserving this heritage should be consistent with the terms and spirit of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, of which there are 127 States Parties. Blue Shield implores auction houses and other art outlets to ensure that no illegally exported material is sold.

27 February 2014

Following the civil conflict that has been shaking the Ukraine, the Blue Shield wishes to express its deep concern regarding the safeguarding and protection of the country’s invaluable cultural and historical heritage, as well as the institutions that house them and the people that care for them.

Ukraine’s museums, libraries and documentary heritage, monuments, churches and monasteries are under risk of threat from looting and destruction. The international heritage community wishes to warn of the potential harm that cultural property may suffer.

Reports regarding damages endured by the Kiev History Museum have given the Blue Shield and its members reasons for concern. The destruction of monuments linked to the political history of Ukraine is also at the forefront of the cultural community’s concerns. The Blue Shield urges the Ukrainian government to investigate the incident which occurred in the Kiev History Museum’s storage rooms on the nights of 18 and 19 February 2014, and to allocate protected storage space for particularly threatened collections.

Mindful of the importance of protecting the historical, artistic and scientific heritage of Ukraine, the Blue Shield welcomes the recent creation of a Blue Shield National Committee for Ukraine. This Blue Shield Committee is currently hard at work protecting all national monuments, regardless of their political or social origins. The Blue Shield strongly supports the Ukrainian National Committee’s initiative to protect the country’s rich range of cultural heritage and its efforts to coordinate and store information on the cultural assets.

Ukraine has been a State Party to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its first Protocol since their ratification on 6 February 1957. Ukraine is also a State Party to the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage since its ratification on 12 October 1988.

Ukraine’s 2004 International Humanitarian Law Manual clearly states that personnel responsible for the defence and protection of cultural property are “protected under international humanitarian law” and that directing attacks against such persons or “clearly identifiable cultural property” constitutes “a serious violation of international humanitarian law”. Cultural property is clearly defined within the manual as being “objects of great importance to the cultural heritage of peoples [and] that play an important role in their spiritual life.” These include, among others, works of art and religious or secular monuments.

The ratified international conventions, Ukraine’s specific legislation, and customary international law impose on nations the obligation to protect their cultural heritage in times of armed conflict. The Blue Shield calls on all parties concerned to fulfil these obligations and to protect the outstanding cultural heritage sites and repositories located within Ukraine.
The Blue Shield’s mission is to work to protect the world’s cultural heritage threatened by armed conflict, natural and human-made disasters. For this reason it places the expertise and network of its member organisations at the disposal of their colleagues working in Ukraine to support their work in protecting the country’s heritage, and if necessary, in assessing for subsequent recovery, restoration, and repair measures.