Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to raise at (a) the UN and (b) UNESCO (i) the threat of destruction to the city of Palmyra in Syria from ISIS and (ii) ways in which the international community can intervene to protect valuable historical sites.

We are deeply concerned about the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq, including the specific threat to Palmyra. The United Kingdom co-sponsored both UN Security Council Resolution 2199 (2015), which condemns the destruction of cultural heritage and requires member states to take measures to prevent the trade in looted antiquities, and UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/281 (28 May 2015), which expresses the outrage of the global community at attacks on cultural heritage as a tactic of war to spread terror and hatred. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Hammond) discussed the protection of cultural heritage with his counterparts at the meeting of the Global Anti-ISIL Coalition Small Group in Paris on 2 June, at which UNESCO Director-General Ms Irina Bokova was present. Ultimately the only way of safeguarding these valuable historic sites is by defeating ISIL and establishing a lasting peace in both Syria and Iraq.