Protecting cultural heritage in the face of danger

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One-time French diplomat Valéry Freland is on a mission to preserve and restore some of the world’s most important examples of cultural heritage. As Executive Director of ALIPH – the international alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas – he oversees projects in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable. Pascal Nagel, our Head of Swiss Onshore, recently caught up with Valéry to learn more about ALIPH’s work and its plans to expand its remit to protect cultural heritage around the world. 

Pascal Nagel (PN): What is ALIPH’s mission?

Valéry Freland (VF): We were created in 2017, after the massive destruction of cultural heritage in Timbuktu (Mali), Palmyra (Syria) and Hatra and Mosul (both Iraq), with the aim of protecting cultural heritage by supporting projects on the ground in conflict areas. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to local long-lasting development and to liaise closely with communities: in short, to help build peace. We’ve been involved in 450 projects in 35 countries, including Ukraine more recently. We recently expanded our support to help protect cultural heritage impacted by climate change in vulnerable countries.

PN: Why is it so important to preserve cultural heritage sites? 

VF: Cultural heritage is part of our history, our memory, and one of the most tangible expressions of our identity. Many people who live near historical sites make a living from them. Our heritage is a connection between the past and the present, and a cornerstone upon which we can build a shared future. Cultural heritage is not only a source of enduring development, but also of wonder. 

I was recently in Mosul to mark the reopening of one of the city's oldest mosques, one of the many rehabilitation projects that we have supported there. After the ceremony, one of the community elders came to us with tears in her eyes, heartened by the restoration. Cultural heritage speaks to everyone's soul.

PN: What motivated you to become involved in the foundation? 

VF: There are four reasons. First, as a career diplomat, I wanted a new challenge. Second, since childhood, I’ve had a passion for heritage: both nearby, such as the towns and villages where I grew up, and distant, such as in Afghanistan. I remember being deeply affected by the Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001. Third, I had the rare opportunity to create a new international organisation from the ground up. And finally, I have the chance to go on site, meet local people and communities, and see our projects moving forward. The work is extremely rewarding.

PN: What are the different stages of your work?

VF: Prevention of damage involves the documentation of collections, monuments and intangible heritage, improving security measures at museums and heritage sites, and providing training on what to do in emergency situations. We have carried out this kind of work many times, but it is a challenge: how can we anticipate, ahead of time, the places that will be most at risk? Research must provide us with better information on possible conflicts and threats linked to climate change.

We also intervene in the midst of conflicts. In doing so we need to consider the nature of the conflict, how to access the territories impacted by the war, the type of military intervention, and the presence of local partners. 

Then comes the time for rehabilitation in the wake of a conflict. Protecting heritage can help build peace by combatting the illicit trafficking of cultural goods – which can be a source of funding for terrorism – and also by contributing to a vital dialogue between communities or parties. Restoring heritage can also help the social and economic development of a region through job creation and promoting the cultural tourism economy. Finally, safeguarding heritage can play a key role in the fight against climate change. For centuries, local communities have been using sustainable construction practices and ways to manage water, land and crops that are adapted to the local environment. These practices can be effective in mitigating the impacts of climate change. 

PN: Are there any projects you’re particularly proud of?

VF: Our projects always produce tangible results, and this is a source of daily satisfaction. But naturally, some of them hold a special place in my heart. 

These include the projects we’ve completed in Mosul, such as the restoration of the Al Masfi mosque and the historical Tutunji House. I’m also proud that we were one of the very first organisations on the ground in Beirut in 2020 after the explosion in the city’s port, as well as in Ukraine since the beginning of the war in 2022. Indeed, to date, we’ve contributed to protecting more than 400 museums, libraries and archives and their collections in Ukraine. Our work in Afghanistan with our partner, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, to protect the sublime Buddhist site of Mes Aynak, is also outstanding. 

PN: What are the biggest challenges involved in protecting sites in conflict areas?

VF: One of the main challenges is to identify potential local or international partners that are willing and able to operate in these complex environments. We also want to ensure that a project will have the biggest possible impact in terms of training, job creation, awareness raising, sustainable development or fostering dialogue between communities. Of course, other considerations we face are related to security, instability, weak institutions or infrastructure and, sometimes, the potential for corruption. But we overcome these challenges with systems for monitoring and evaluation, and a team of international staff who have worked in these environments before.    

PN: Why is the environment an important consideration?

VF: Addressing the impact of climate change has become one of ALIPH’s priorities. In many countries in which we operate, climate change aggravates and is sometimes even the cause of violence and conflict. Droughts, limited access to water and natural disasters can all contribute to creating situations that are unsafe for people and their heritage. We’ve seen this recently in Sudan, where the Nile floods have threatened the site of Meroe, and in Libya, where torrential rains destroyed the historic centre of Derna. 

Unfortunately, it is sometimes where the impact of climate change is felt most strongly that implementing projects is most difficult. This summer we’re launching an ambitious call for projects that will be dedicated specifically to tackling the issue across Africa. 

PN: Why is the foundation headquartered in Switzerland?

VF: ALIPH’s founders chose Geneva as its headquarters because it’s the capital of humanitarian action and peacebuilding – two concepts that are at the core of our foundation’s mission – and in turn, the Swiss authorities gave us the status of an international organisation. Moreover, in Geneva, we benefit from an exceptional ecosystem oriented towards overcoming international challenges and responding to global crises. And breathing in the lake air soothes the spirits!

PN: How is the foundation funded? 

VF: ALIPH is a public-private partnership: we are supported by eight member states (France, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Luxembourg, China, Morocco and Cyprus) and three private donors (Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan, the Getty Trust and the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art). Some of our projects receive support from other funders, such as the European Union, the US State Department or Monaco. 

Unfortunately, because of the increase in the number of conflicts and the worsening impact of climate change, protecting cultural heritage in vulnerable countries is a “growing market”. So we are now looking for new donors. In 2023 alone, we had to respond to no fewer than five crises: Ukraine, but also Syria/Turkey and Morocco after the earthquakes, Libya after the floods, and South Caucasus. ALIPH is always among the first to intervene on the ground. 

PN: How do you see the foundation’s work progressing over the coming years?

VF: ALIPH’s services will be needed more and more. Our heritage is threatened perhaps more than ever before by a lack of maintenance, unbridled urbanisation, climate change and war. Cultural heritage is no longer just collateral damage in conflicts, but very often a target, or even a weapon of war, as we saw from Hatra and Mosul, when Daesh broadcast images of the cultural artifacts they destroyed as if they were trophies. And each time, the reconstruction needs, as well as the associated costs, are immense. 

Therefore, we must work on the long-term sustainability of ALIPH. We must also maintain our unique agility, based on our start-up mode and our anti-red tape approach, that allows us to intervene very quickly, sometimes in 24 hours. Being able to intervene quickly to protect cultural heritage can mean the difference between preserving something precious or losing it forever. 

Image credit: ALIPH