speeches from the ‘Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods’ conference 31/03/2017, Stockholm (Sweden)

Syria and Iraq: Culture at Risk. Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods – 31/03/2017, Stockholm (Sweden) In the footsteps of war and unrest, antiquities are being looted from ancient sites and museums. These objects are sold illegally on a growing international market. This trade is a strong threat to proper documentation of our cultural heritage and…

Three-day workshop on the ethics of collections and fight against illicit traffic in the GCC

The UNESCO Doha Office in partnership with Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority is organizing a workshop on “Ethics of collections and fight against illicit traffic of cultural heritage in the GCC” from the 2nd to the 4th of April in the Bab al Qasr hotel in Abu Dhabi. The illicit import, export and transfer…

EUROPOL: 3561 artefacts seized in Operation Pandora

Europol has joined forces with law enforcement authorities from 18 countries, INTERPOL, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Customs Organization (WCO) to tackle the theft and illicit trafficking of cultural goods. Operation Pandora, as EUROPOL just noticed in a press release on January 23, 2016, was successfully led by…

UNESCO & WCO: Model Export Certificate

The Model Export Certificate for Cultural Objects was jointly prepared by the Secretariats of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), cooperating to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property. It is specially adapted to the increasing phenomenon of cross border movements of the cultural objects. Knowing that…

UNESCO: Save culture, end trafficking of stolen antiquities

“Prevention”, “cooperation”, and “awareness raising” are the terms that one hears when it comes to preventing illicit trafficking in cultural property. The challenges are many: thefts in museums, public and private spaces, and archaeological sites are ongoing; conflicts ravaging the Middle East are leading to a surge in looting and trafficking; and circulation and sale…