上周一, 联合国教科文组织发布消息称，总干事伊琳·博科娃上书联合国秘书长潘基文，强烈呼吁暂停海地艺术品在国际艺术市场上的买卖活动，以保护这个受天灾重创国家的宝贵文化遗产。

     UNESCO director general Irina Bokova has written to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon calling for a suspension of trade in Haitian artworks to prevent the loss of the country’s cultural heritage, said U.N. officials last week.

    Ms. Bokova said she hoped that organizations coordinating relief work in Haiti and the U.N. peacekeeping mission could join hands in protecting places where Haitian artworks are kept, such as museums, galleries and churches.

    She also urged the United Nations to pass a resolution suspending trade and transfer of Haitian artworks and suggested the ban be enforced by the International Criminal Police Organization and the World Customs Organization.

    Ms. Bokova also hoped that the international community and the art market would make efforts to prevent the loss of Haitian artworks. She pointed out the imperative to verify the source of the artworks during the trading process and to prevent people from digging or stealing antiquities from collapsed historical sites.

    According to figures released by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12 has killed 113,000 people, injured 196,000 others and left 482,000 homeless.