The Roerich Pact. History and modernity. On the Occasion of the 80th Anniversary of the Roerich Pact and 70th Anniversary of the United Nations. Exhibition catalogue

Across the world, we see cultural heritage under attack, from Mali to Iraq and Syria. Extremists vandalize museums and historic sites, forbid girls to go to school and kill members of the media – all symbols that embody freedom of thought and respect for cultural diversity. These assaults strike at the heart of human identity and endeavour.

Signed in 1935, the Roerich Pact paved the way for landmark international legal instruments devoted to the protection of cultural property, both in peacetime and during war – including the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Confl ict and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols. The UNESCO World Heritage Convention, adopted in 1972, builds on the spirit on the Pact. International criminal law has also made big strides in protecting cultural property. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to education, art and science, as well as historic monuments, is a war crime in both international and in non-international armed confl ict.

This exhibition pays tribute to the ground-breaking Roerich Pact and bears witness to our determination to take its spirit forward.