SAH Statement on the Conflict in Ukraine

Jun 7, 2022 by SAH News

The SAH Heritage Conservation Committee, on behalf of the Society of Architectural Historians, has issued the following statement on the conflict in Ukraine.

PDF Version

Statement
on
The Conflict in Ukraine 

Society of Architectural Historians
Heritage Conservation Committee

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) deplores the loss of life resulting from the conflict in Ukraine. The continued offensive by Russian forces, including repeated attacks on civilian population centers, is an ongoing threat to the lives of innocent citizens and a direct affront to basic human decency. These aggressions also pose an immediate threat to Ukraine’s cultural heritage. Ukraine is home to an extraordinary wealth of cultural heritage sites, many fragile and irreplaceable, and all of which are threatened by this conflict. 

SAH joins the World Monuments Fund (WMF), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the US Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (USICOMOS) in calling on Russian forces to respect the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the 1972 World Heritage Convention, and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. We urge all involved to take every available precaution in order to protect civilian lives and avoid permanent damage to cultural heritage in the region. 

Approved 25 May 2022
Society of Architectural Historians
Heritage Conservation Committee 

Bryan Clark Green, Ph.D., LEED AP BD+C
Chair, Society of Architectural Historians Heritage Conservation Committee 

Mr. Kenneth Breisch, Ph.D.; Ms. Mary B. Brush, FAIA; Mr. James Buckley, Ph.D.; Mr. Jeffrey Cody, Ph.D.; Mr. Anthony Cohn, AIA; Mr. David Fixler, FAIA; Ms. Priya Jain, AIA; Mr. Theodore H. Prudon, Ph.D., FAIA, Ms. Pauline Saliga; Ms. Deborah Slaton; Ms. Victoria Young, Ph.D.; Members, SAH Heritage Conservation Committee.