Damage Assessment
It is important continuously to assess the damage being caused to the urban cultural heritage while hostilities are still in progress. Although calls for the termination of armed conflict generally focus on civilian victims and the destruction of basic social and technical infrastructure, the monitoring and publicising of damage to cultural heritage can also play a key role in this context.
Once hostile activity has ceased, the damage to, and destruction of, buildings and physical infrastructure have to be assessed in order to define the needs, options and costs for reconstruction. This survey of physical damage has to be complemented by an assessment of the toll of war on the economy, political and social institutions, and social cohesion.
