Al-Hamli discusses with the Director of UNESCO the damages done to the historical cities

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation, Ibrahim Al-Hamli, met today with the Director of UNESCO Office in the Gulf States and Yemen, Salah Khaled.

The meeting, which was attended by the head of the International Cooperation Department, Ali Al-Kahlani, discussed the damage of the historical cities as a result of being targeted by the aggression coalition and the effects of the torrential rains.

Al-Hamli denounced the aggression countries’ targeting of archaeological sites , as well as looting and stealing Yemeni antiquities and smuggling them abroad, in light of UNESCO’s silence.

The Secretary-General of SCMCHA briefed the UNESCO delegation on the conditions of Old City of Sana’a, Cairo castle in Hajjah, and other historical cities that are within the World Humanitarian Heritage List, which are under threat of collapse due to their direct and indirect exposure to systematic destruction by the aggression coalition.

Al-Hamli pointed out the importance of resuming the work of the UNESCO office in Sana’a to play its role in the urgent and necessary interventions to rehabilitate and restore historical cities, the most important of which is the restoration of the Old City of Sana’a, whose residences were both directly and indirectly destroyed by the aggression coalition.

He emphasized the significance of project coordination with SCMCHA in order to facilitate the project’s implementation procedures.

He called for the
implementation of interventions in the restoration and rehabilitation of historical cities, to preserve the human heritage, as UNESCO is concerned with preserving the world heritage.

The Secretary-General of SCMCHA touched on the dangers that threaten old Sana’a , stressing the SCMCHA’s readiness to provide facilities to resume the work of international organizations in Sana’a that adhere to the values, principles and procedures of Yemeni affairs.

In turn, the Director of the UNESCO Office in the Gulf States and Yemen considered the preservation of historical cities an essential and important part of the organization’s priorities to preserve the world’s human heritage in accordance with the agreements concluded with government agencies in this field.

The meeting was attended by the Director General of international organizations Department, Turki Jameel, and a number of UNESCO employees.