UNESCO is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict.
It was created on the 14 May 1954.
It is also the 25th Anniversary of its Second Protocol, which was opened for signature on 24 March 1999.
It is the first and the most comprehensive multilateral treaty dedicated exclusively to the protection of cultural heritage in times of peace as well as during an armed conflict.
In pursuance of this, the Blue Shield, formerly the International Committee of the Blue Shield was founded in 1996.
The Blue Shield network is often referred to as the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross.