Start of new cooperation with UNESCO within the framework of the 1954 convention

On December 14, the 18th meeting of the UNESCO “Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict” (Hague, 1954) was held at UNESCO headquarters. During this meeting, the application of the Republic of Armenia for international financial assistance was approved. It is for the preparation of a corresponding application for the acceptance in the near future under the auspices of the said Convention of the group of monuments “Tatev and the monastic complexes of the Great Tatev Desert and the Vorotan river gorge.”
In spring of this year, having prepared an application and discussed it with the ministries of ESCS and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, as well as with the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Armenia to UNESCO, the “Research Center for Historical and Cultural Heritage” gave it to UNESCO. The application passed various levels of the UNESCO Convention. It was confirmed by the secretariat, and it was then included in the agenda of the December session of the committee.
At the final meeting of the commission, the application was presented by the director of the research center, Khachik Harutyunyan.
The UNESCO-approved grant is approximately $55,000. With the help of the grant, it is planned to carry out three-dimensional laser scanning and detailed digitization of all structures and monuments included in Tatev and the monastic complexes of the Tatev Great Desert. It is also planned to prepare appropriate risk management and mitigation programs, consultation with international experts, and processing of state registration documents. Based on this, an application will be prepared and submitted to UNESCO to take the group of monuments under the auspices of the “Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict”. The duration of the project is 15 months.
The group of monuments “Tatev and the Great Tatev Desert monastery complexes and the Vorotan river gorge” was included in the preliminary list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995. The approved grant will simultaneously create all the prerequisites for including a group of monuments on the main list, which is also in the near future.