War and armed conflicts affect many aspects of life. As well as the humanitarian toll it takes, conflicts often involve damage to and the destruction of cultural heritage as well as the looting of artefacts. Cultural heritage has been deliberately targeted in recent conflicts and wars, and the more we talk about cultural heritage and its value and the importance of protecting it, the more interesting it becomes for some groups to target it
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The Drina River Basin is ecologically rich and has major untapped economic potential from hydropower, fisheries, and tourism. But its floods and droughts also pose a major risk to the three countries it spans. The frequency and scope of extreme wet and dry episodes in the basin have increased in recent years, and climate change is likely to further accentuate these peaks and troughs.
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Coal regions are often remote and highly dependent on their local coal economy. As such, the severe and rapid disruption to coal production and consumption will lead to profound socioeconomic impacts for affected regions.
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As countries in the Western Balkans continue to grow, so too does their exposure to risk from climate change and natural disasters. Over the last twenty years, living standards have increased six-fold in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and nearly three-fold in Albania and Serbia. More people are finding jobs and wages are rising. The region’s future, according to the latest World Bank projections, is bright.
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Cultural heritage is an important issue of identity. The destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage shows that the war in Ukraine is not just about security and economic issues. Destroying tangible, and also intangible cultural heritage by, for example, banning traditions, languages or even an emotive word, is a form of psychological, moral and political warfare.
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