The deliberate targeting of cultural heritage in times of war and conflict is damaging on many levels: it robs countries of their past and impoverishes our shared heritage. What actions can be taken to mitigate the destruction? On October 15, 2015, the Hollings Center hosted a panel discussion entitled, “Preserving Cultural Heritage in Conflict” to address what action can be taken, and what potential there is to prevent the unprecedented destruction to world culture we are witnessing today.

Panelists included: Ambassador Gürcan Türkoğlu, Vice-President of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO and Chairperson of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee; Dr. Shaker Al Shbib, Archaeologist and Curator; and Dr. Susan Wolfinbarger, Geospatial Technologies Project Director, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The conversation was moderated by Dr. Yonca Kösebay Erkan, Chair Holder at UNESCO Chair in Management and Promotion of World Heritage Sites: New Media and Community Involvement, Kadir Has University. Watch the video of the event below.