Summary
World donors pledged more than $75 million Monday to a historic UNESCO-backed alliance to protect cultural heritage sites threatened by war and the wave of ideological-driven destruction carried out by Daesh (ISIS) militants.
French President Francois Hollande, speaking at a donors' conference in Paris' Louvre Museum, passionately called on more countries to contribute to the newly-created heritage alliance and help push it past its "ambitious" $100 million goal.
A number of cultural artifacts and heritage sites have fallen victim to Daesh.
In coordination with UNESCO, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) aims to prevent heritage site destruction, fight trafficking of stolen artifacts and pay for restoration.
Six countries and one philanthropist pledged a total of $75.5 million at Monday's conference, which was held in an ancient Middle Eastern sculpture-clad wing of the Louvre.
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