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France commits $30m to protect endangered cultural heritage

French president François Hollande announced the contribution to saving war-torn sites during a conference in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.

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France is committing $30 million toward a new fund set up to protect cultural heritage sites during times of armed conflict, reports FRANCE 24.

French president François Hollande announced the contribution Saturday during a conference in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.

Organizers of the Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage conference hope to attract an initial $100 million for the fund. It aims to prevent or stop destruction of historical sites, fight trafficking of stolen artifacts and pay for the restoration of sites damaged by war.

They also seek to create a network of sites around the world where artifacts endangered by fighting or terrorism could be temporarily stored for safekeeping.

Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.