On the sidelines of the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum, which was aptly held in Mexico City, Giovanni Boccardi, Chief of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit for the Culture Sector of UNESCO, made the case that much more needs to be done to put cultural heritage front and center in the disaster risk management agenda.
“[Cultural heritage] has been considered as a secondary issue, as a luxury. But we have seen…that when there is a disaster, when there is a trauma, people really need to hold on to their cultural landmarks, their symbols,” Boccardi explained. “Heritage is the glue that binds people together as a community.”
In this video interview from the 2018 Understanding Risk Forum, Mr. Boccardi shares his thoughts on how disaster risk management practitioners can contribute to protecting cultural heritage and, at the same time, leverage these efforts toward the broader goal of building more resilient communities.
Photo of garden at Chapultepec Castle (Castillo de Chapultepec) in Mexico City by Storm Cunningham.