KABUL/ ABU DHABI (SW): President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani joins a number of world leaders and representatives of international organizations for a conference in Abu Dhabi this weekend to ratify a global declaration on protecting endangered cultural heritage.
France and the United Arab Emirates are leading the initiative at this conference to establish an international partnership that could respond to dangers such as Islamic State group jihadists rampaging through ancient sites in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The gathering will also include French President Francois Hollande, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) director Irina Bokova and representatives of some 40 nations. According to UNESCO 55 out of a total of 1,052 heritage sites around the world are now listed as World Heritage in Danger.
The conference aims to create an international Geneva-based fund of $100 million, according to French authorities behind the initiative. Ghani is joined by the Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and a number of other officials on this trip.
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