Abu Dhabi: The closing session of the Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage conference began on Saturday in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Also present were French President Francois Hollande, Kuwait's emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi; Afghan President Ashraf Ghani; Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Irina Bokova, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

The closing session will focuse on outcomes and objectives resulting from the conference, which was organised as part of the  joint international initiative by proposed by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed and French President Hollande.

The conference will be concluded by adopting the Abu Dhabi charter, which would be a recognition of the commitment  by all present parties and signatories of the Charter to offer their support to establishing a network of safe havens and a  fund to safeguarding endangered cultural heritage especially in areas experiencing devastating conflicts.