Alexis Mocio-Mathieu, Directorate for Culture, Education, Research and Network coordination – Human and Social Sciences, Archaeology and Heritage Unit- French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. French government initiatives to protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage abroad

1. CReW
Cultural Relations at Work - Jean Monnet project
Reinforcing cooperation on cultural heritage in the EU Neighborhood South
The Royal Society, London
(October 22-23, 2018)
French government initiatives to protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage abroad
Speaker: Alexis Mocio-Mathieu, Directorate for Culture, Education, Research and Network
coordination – Human and Social Sciences, Archaeology and Heritage Unit- French Ministry for
Europe and Foreign Affairs
The origins of French action to protect tangible and intangible heritage traces back decades. Two
examples of this long-standing commitment are the International Coordination Committee for the
Safeguarding and Development of Historic Site of Angkor (ICC Angkor) and the French
archaeological delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA).
ICC Angkor. The ICC Angkor is an
international initiative based on the
partnership between France,
Japan, UNESCO, and the Apsara
Authority. It is an international
coordinating mechanism for the
assistance provided by different
countries and organisations for the
safeguarding and development of
the historic site of Angkor. The
ICC-Angkor implements
procedures to undertake
assessments and follow-up of
scientific, conservation and
development projects for the
Angkor site. The ICC-Angkor holds
two sessions a year, one at the
plenary level and one at the technical level. The Plenary Session of the ICC-Angkor examines
general policy matters, determines central priorities and approves new project proposals.. The
Technical Session of the ICC-Angkor also meets once a year and is responsible for the follow-up
of the different projects, activities and researches carried out by operators intervening at the site of
Angkor. In addition, two ad hoc groups of experts (for conservation and sustainable development)
are operational. The mandates of these groups are to examine any technical question and to give
guidance using recommendations on the implementation of projects. Finally, so-called
Quadripartite Meetings are organized periodically between France, Japan, the Royal Government
of Cambodia and UNESCO in order to examine technical matters concerned with the functioning of
the ICC-Angkor.1
1
Information on Roles and Operations were taken by the author of this report from the ICC Official Website:
http://icc-angkor.org/#
Figure 1. The ancient site of Angkor. Photo taken from Mr. Mocio-Mathieu's
contribution

2. French archaeological delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA). The French Archaeological
Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA) was created in 1922, at the request of the Afghan government,
to carry out archaeological research in Afghanistan. In 2002, after 20 years of closure by decision
of the pro-Soviet government of Afghanistan, the DAFA has resumed its activities in Afghanistan
with a focus on Franco-Afghan cooperation in the field of archaeological and monumental heritage.
It is now part of the network of French Institutes of Research Abroad (UMIFRE) of the Ministry of
Europe and Foreign Affairs. Its mission has been strengthened since the signing of the Treaty of
Friendship and Cooperation between Afghanistan and France in 2012. The training of the new
generation of Afghan archaeologists, as well as the protection, restoration, and highlighting the
cultural heritage of the country are priorities for the DAFA; these efforts are reflected on the ground
by survey campaigns, planned archaeological excavations or rescue excavations before the
intensive plundering of sites. Today, the DAFA works in close collaboration with its local
institutional partners, including the Ministry of Information and Culture, the Ministry of Mines and
Petroleum, the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs, the National Institute of Archaeology, the
National Museum of Afghanistan, as well as with international institutions such as UNESCO, the
Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the World Bank, the Deutsche Archäologische Institut (DAI),
the Afghanistan Center at Kabul University (ACKU), and the US Department of State. In 2015, the
Afghan government called upon DAFA to implement the Afghanistan Archaeological Map. This
enormous database of known archaeological sites in Afghanistan will be used to facilitate scientific
research and heritage protection. It is also a decision-making tool for governmental bodies on
cultural issues as well as on the development and management of Afghan territory2.
Actions at international level. Besides more traditional activities, in the last years France has
increasingly committed to the global protection of cultural heritage. In this framework, an important
step was the International Conference for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas,
which took place in Abu Dhabi on December 2-3, 2016. The Conference was organized by the
French government and the United Arab Emirates under the auspices of UNESCO with two main
objectives: the creation of an international network of safe havens to “temporarily safeguard
cultural property endangered by armed conflicts or terrorism on their own territory…in a
neighbouring country, or…in another country, in accordance with international law at the request of
the governments concerned”3, and the creation of an international fund for the protection of
endangered cultural heritage in armed conflict. The latter was established by France and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2017, and was named ALIPH (International Alliance for the
protection of heritage in conflict areas). ALIPH is an international fund whose purpose is “to
attract…[and] manage…resources for the implementation of preventive and emergency protection
programmes for cultural property in danger of destruction, damage or looting on account of armed
conflict, and to contribute to [its] rehabilitation”4. Representatives of the donor countries and
international governmental organisations, representatives of private donors, and experts in the
protection of cultural heritage are part of its board, including UNESCO, which is a non-voting
member, has agreed to join its board. Following an initial financial commitment of 30M by the
French government, the first Donors’ Conference raised more than USD 76M of a planned
USD100M. Aliph is now fully operative: it has an executive director, M. Valéry Freland, and has
already started the selection of projects to be funded. So far, two geographic priorities -Iraq and
Mali- are set.
2
Information on the DAFA were taken by the author of this report from its official website:
http://dafa.fr/index.php/en/
3
French Republic, Act on Freedom of Creation, Architecture and Cultural Heritage, Art. L111-11.
4
UNESCO , UNESCO’s Participation, Annex, 1.

3. France has also been quite active in backing and shaping actions at multilateral level in the
framework of the United Nations. On the occasion of the establishment of the stabilization mission
MINUSMA (the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali), France
advocated to include a cultural component in the mandate of the peacekeeping operation
(RES2100) and was actively involved in the restoration of the Timbuktu mausoleums. Moreover,
France and Italy worked together to shape and back a UN resolution entirely dedicated to the
protection of cultural heritage (S/RES/2347, 2017), which formalized for the first time the inclusion
of a cultural component in the mandate of peacekeeping operations.
At the EU level, France has joined common efforts to combat financing of terrorist organizations
and organized crime (G7 2016) and is actively engaged in the framework of the European Year of
Cultural Heritage (EYCH5,).
Efforts at international level have been corroborated by national initiatives, such as a general
strengthening of relevant legislation -Act on the Freedom of Creation, Architecture and Heritage,
July 2016- and public-private initiatives to train professionals in the field of CH protection from the
MENA region, such as a French-Iraqi cooperation in partnership with Louvre and the French
National Institute of Cultural Heritage.
Finally, it is worth
noticing that France has
a wide network of French
research institutes
abroad: 27 research
institutes specialized in
humanities and social
sciences, in order to
ensure excellent
scientific quality. These
institutes are spread
across more than
30 countries,
representing a unique
tool supporting France’s
scientific diplomacy Some of them, as the Institut Français du Proche-Orient, are specialized in
archaeology and cultural heritage researches. This network is strengthened by French
archaeological missions abroad: 159 missions financed in 2018 with a budget of 1.9M Euros6.
5
https://patrimoineeurope2018.culture.gouv.fr
6
https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/scientific-diplomacy/archaeology-
humanities-and-social-sciences/
Figure 2. French research institutes abroad. Contribution by the speaker