Iran urges stronger heritage protection at BRICS meet after damage to 149 sites
Iran’s tourism minister on Friday called for the protection of cultural heritage to be placed at the heart of international cooperation at a BRICS tourism ministers’ meeting in India, condemning US and Israeli military attacks that he said damaged 149 historical and cultural monuments, including five World Heritage sites.
Speaking at the meeting in Jaipur, Reza Salehi-Amiri said the US-Israeli war on Iran that broke out late February had caused not only loss of life but also serious damage to cultural heritage.
“If we have put humanity’s future first, protecting human lives, upholding human dignity, safeguarding communities and protecting our shared cultural heritage must be at the center of our international cooperation,” he said.
Salehi-Amiri, whose remarks were made under the meeting’s theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, said the experience had highlighted the importance of protecting the common heritage of humanity.
He said resilience should not be viewed simply as a tourism destination’s ability to weather an economic crisis.
“Real resilience means the ability of people, communities and cultures to preserve their identity, rebuild their livelihoods and lives, and recover their strength and dignity,” the minister said.
Salehi-Amiri said the world needed resilient communities more than resilient economies and called for tourism to become a bridge between nations, linking cultures, restoring hope, supporting communities and contributing to lasting peace.
“The world needs cooperation instead of confrontation, dialogue instead of division and cultural understanding instead of hostility,” he said.
The Iranian minister proposed establishing a “BRICS Tourism Projects Support Fund”, saying its operating mechanism could be defined within the processes of the New Development Bank of BRICS to provide financing for joint tourism projects in member states.
He also called for stronger links between government policies and the private sector and said Iran was ready to offer practical mechanisms for implementing greater tourism cooperation.
Salehi-Amiri urged BRICS countries to draw on the historic Silk Road and Spice Route, which he said had once served as cultural and commercial bridges between some member states, to strengthen people-to-people exchanges.
He called for an approach that goes beyond tourism as an economic activity, saying it could help connect communities, strengthen cultural understanding and build a shared future.
The minister said Iran was ready to play an active role and offer practical mechanisms to deepen tourism cooperation among BRICS members.
BRICS is an intergovernmental bloc of major emerging economies, established to challenge Western-dominated financial systems and promote multilateralism.
It was founded in 2006 with four members—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—later joined by South Africa in 2010, and expanded to nine members in January 2024 with the addition of Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
The group aims to reform global governance, facilitate south-south cooperation, and support sustainable development through institutions like the New Development Bank.