G14 Ambassadors to Yemen: Save Yemen's cultural heritage

After a five-day truce, the Saudi-led campaign on Yemen has restarted, stronger and more violent than before. Centuries-old cities have suffered intense bombardments, while the historic city of Sa'da has been completely decimated. The old city of Sana'a, a unique architectural wonder inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List is now under threat, as bombardments in and around the compounds of the historic capital are causing irreversible structural damage.

Yemen offers a little known but rich and diverse cultural heritage, composed of Islamic and pre-islamic sites and structures spanning thousands of years. As the turmoil affecting the Middle East robs humanity of an increasing part of its history, all must be done to rapidly stop the on-going destruction, and preserve what little is left. Future generations deserve the right to appreciate and cherish the positive contributions of humanity, rather than be left to wonder as to why they have been allowed to disappear.

To save Yemen's cultural heritage, there is no other solution than a durable cessation of hostilities. We call on you to pressure the warring parties to engage in a cease-fire without preconditions, and bring all factions to the negotiating table, in a politically neutral environment and under the sponsorship of the United Nations. With great powers such as yours comes great responsibility, and there is no time to waste.