A/HRC/31/59 Report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Contents Page I. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 3 II. Cultural rights: revisiting and reconfirming the conceptual and legal framework ........................... 3 A. Definition of cultural rights: meaning and terminology .......................................................... 4 B. The legal basis of cultural rights .............................................................................................. 7 C. Universality of human rights, cultural rights and cultural diversity......................................... 7 D. Methodological commitments and challenges ......................................................................... 9 E. Priorities for the mandate holder: 2015-2018 .......................................................................... 9 Intentional destruction of cultural heritage ...................................................................................... 11 A. Importance of cultural heritage from a human rights perspective............................................ 11 B. International legal standards on protection of cultural heritage ............................................... 12 C. Intentional destruction of cultural heritage: cultural warfare and “cultural cleansing” ........... 15 D. Towards a human rights approach to the intentional destruction of cultural heritage ............. 16 Conclusion and recommendations .................................................................................................... 19 A. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 19 B. Preliminary recommendations ................................................................................................. 20 III. IV. 2