Building cultural first aid, peace, and resilience

Armed conflicts and their resulting humanitarian crises severely limit local communities’ ability to protect their endangered heritage. Integrating cultural heritage first aid into humanitarian relief can help alleviate trauma and promote sustainable peace in communities. By focusing on the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, this project strengthened capacity in preparedness, response, and recovery among communities adversely affected by conflicts. 262 cultural heritage first responders were trained and 624 citizens were involved in implementing a risk management approach for their heritage. In 30 months, 16 heritage sites were secured by 52 partners and 624 residents.