International Day for Monuments and Sites – 18 April 2026

Theme: Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters

On the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS Lebanon joins the international community in reflecting on the 2026 theme: Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters.

In Lebanon, this theme is not conceptual. It reflects an ongoing and urgent reality.

Over recent years, and most acutely during the latest March 2026 Israeli War, Lebanon’s cultural heritage has been exposed to repeated damage, escalating threats, and, in certain instances, direct destruction. These impacts extend beyond individual monuments to affect historic urban fabrics, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes that collectively embody centuries of cultural continuity.

The destruction of the Chamaa Citadel on 13 April 2026 stands as a stark illustration. A site of layered historical significance, closely associated with local communities and embedded in long-standing cultural and religious narratives, it had previously undergone restoration following earlier conflicts. Its renewed damage underscores the fragility of heritage in contexts where protection frameworks struggle to translate into effective safeguards on the ground.

In 2024, in response to escalating risks from the Israeli war, Lebanon sought international protection for a number of its most vulnerable cultural properties. This led to the inscription of 34 sites on the Enhanced Protection List under the framework of UNESCO and the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. In 2026, this effort was further extended, with 39 additional cultural properties granted Enhanced Protection status, reaffirming their recognition as heritage of the highest importance to humanity.

States Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention have undertaken a solemn obligation: to respect cultural property by refraining from any use or action that could expose it to destruction or damage in times of armed conflict. The Second Protocol of 1999 reinforces this commitment. Article 10 establishes the regime of Enhanced Protection for cultural property of the highest importance to humanity, contingent on strict conditions such as adequate domestic safeguards and the absence of military use.

Once granted, this protection is absolute. Article 12 prohibits making such property the object of attack. Article 7 requires all feasible precautions to prevent incidental damage. Article 15 defines serious violations, including the deliberate targeting of cultural property under Enhanced Protection or its use in support of military action.

Together, these provisions form a clear framework: cultural heritage is not a permissible casualty of war. Its protection is a binding legal duty, and its violation constitutes a grave breach of international law.

While not all States are party to the Second Protocol (1999), the protection of cultural property does not depend solely on its ratification. The obligation to respect cultural property, as established under Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, remains binding on its States Parties. Furthermore, core principles of cultural property protection are widely recognized as part of customary international humanitarian law, as reflected in the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and are therefore applicable to all parties to armed conflict. In this context, the designation of sites under Enhanced Protection carries significant legal and normative weight, reflecting their exceptional value to humanity and reinforcing a heightened expectation that they be safeguarded, and that all feasible precautions be taken to avoid damage, under all circumstances.

The continued damage to sites benefiting from such protection raises serious concerns regarding the effective implementation of these obligations. Beyond individual incidents, repeated harm to protected heritage risks undermining the normative strength of the international legal framework itself, potentially setting precedents that weaken the protection of cultural heritage in conflict situations globally.

The 2026 theme rightly emphasizes living heritage; heritage sustained through the knowledge, practices, and presence of communities. In Lebanon, the impact of conflict extends beyond built structures. Damage to agricultural landscapes and natural environments, through fire, land degradation, artillery-fired white phosphorus, and the disruption of traditional land use, directly affects the ecological foundations of living heritage. These landscapes sustain seasonal practices, local knowledge systems, and long-standing relationships between communities and their environment.

At the same time, the displacement of communities represents a critical threat to the continuity of living heritage. When populations are forced to leave their ancestral environments, the transmission of knowledge, practices, and cultural expressions is interrupted, placing both tangible and intangible heritage at risk. Heritage, in this sense, cannot be reduced to physical remains; it depends on the continued presence of those who sustain it.

This reality calls for a comprehensive understanding of emergency response, one that integrates legal protection, technical intervention, environmental considerations, and the safeguarding of communities as essential stewards of heritage.

ICOMOS Lebanon therefore calls for:

• strengthened mechanisms for monitoring and documentation in conflict-affected areas;
• sustained support to national institutions, including the Directorate General of Antiquities, to enable timely and informed responses;
• enhanced international cooperation to ensure the effective implementation of the Hague Convention and its Protocols;
• and the reaffirmation, by all parties to armed conflict, of their obligation to respect cultural property in accordance with international law, with due regard to the heightened protection afforded to sites of the highest universal value.

The persistence of such damage calls for greater accountability and more effective mechanisms to ensure compliance with international legal obligations. Expressions of concern, while important, must be accompanied by concrete measures capable of preventing further harm.

Lebanon’s experience is not isolated. It reflects broader challenges faced in many regions where cultural heritage is increasingly exposed to conflict and disaster. The credibility of the international system designed to protect such heritage depends on its consistent application. Where protection fails, the consequences extend far beyond national borders.

On this International Day for Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to working with national and international partners to protect, document, and sustain the country’s cultural heritage in all its forms, tangible and intangible, material and living, as part of the shared heritage of humanity.