UNESCO in Afghanistan: Historical Highlights from Monument Conservation to Debates on Reconstruction

UNESCO has been collaborating with the government of Afghanistan and partners such as academia and civil society since the 1950s, in the fields of built heritage, World Heritage, museums, intangible and living heritage. Since 2001, it has focused on the safeguarding of two World Heritage sites in Afghanistan, Bamiyan and Jam, also placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Building on its previous achievement thanks to the cooperation with various partners, the international community continues to provide various supports, including to fulfill the conditions for removing the two sites from the List of World Heritage in Danger, as well as to further discuss the issue of reconstruction, as Bamiyan represents a unique case for reflection on this subject.