Introduction

The massive and intentional destruction of cultural and religious property in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War became a seminal marker in the discourse on cultural heritage in both the professional and non-professional spheres. Cultural heritage preservation and protection are slowly coming to be seen as a significant element in post-conflict and development aid and a crucial part of the recovery process in post-conflict societies. This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an appraisal of documentation of the damage to Bosnia-Herzegovina's cultural and religious property. It examines both wartime and post-war reports produced by local and regional sources. The book provides the evolution of the Commission during its first five years under the aegis of UNESCO. It focuses on reversing the effects of ethnic cleansing and the global condemnation of monument destruction, restoration and reconstruction of cultural heritage should have been high on the international agenda.