CAIRO: UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said to Youm7, Arab youth who were deprived from their voting rights took their authority into the streets to establish the freedom and democracy Egypt deserves. Bokova said the Arab situation completely changed after the period of Arab uprising, the period in which youth uprisings for social justice started in Egypt and Tunisia and spread throughout Libya, Yemen and Syria. “No doubt that incidents in Arab states formed an intermission in history to separate the past from the future. The youth calling for freedom and justice is the spark of this interval, ” she said. She praised UNESCO's efforts in protecting cultural heritage in countries that goes though political tension and demonstrations. Bokova said the common element in Egyptian and Tunisian Revolutions is the youth that put past burdens behind them and aimed for a peaceful future for they know peace starts where justice begins. About the youth slogan, “Freedom, Dignity, Humanity,” she said the youths' slogans and logos are the same ideologies she believed in when she took the UNESCO Director-General position. About UNESCO's role to protect cultural heritage in uprising countries, she said the organization is keen on protecting and maintaining stability, adding her priorities concern the well being of people and those who are suffering from political crisis or natural disasters. Bokova praised the international cooperation for protecting Nubian archaeology after the building of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. Because of this cooperation, UNESCO the World Heritage Convention was signed in 1972. Bokova was worried about Egyptian archaeology during the Revolution, amidst the chaos, thieves and smugglers considered it a chance to steal and smuggle monuments. She was referring to the Baghdad Museum heist, where more than 15,000 archaeological pieces were stolen. She applauded the Egyptian youth when they formed a human shield to protect the Egyptian Museum and the Library of Alexandria. Regarding UNESCO's role to protect human heritage in uprising countries, Bokova said the organization held an emergency meeting attended by worldwide international representatives, World Custom Organization, Interpol, International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, and World Monuments Fund to protect heritages in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya during the uprisings. UNESCO already sent these three countries three different missions in April to directly connect with the new governments to have them consider the missions' reports to evaluate the status quo in each country respectively. Bokova announced UNESCO will launch an initiative to protect youth heritage to increase cultural awareness. As for media role in Arab uprising, she said new media networks have very influential roles and shifting away from traditional media coverage, controlled by government regimes. New media outlets can allow anyone to update and get updated on events globally. Bokova encouraged development and progress and she sends Arab and Egyptian youth two messages: firstly, to listen to one another and to respect and defend democratic values and social justice. And secondly, that UNSECO is ready to hold the youths' hand and all concerned parties to help bypass this transitional period in the Arab World.
