by UNAI Intern, Achuth Krishnan.
With the hitherto unprecedented rise in the illegitimate trafficking and destruction of cultural property in the recent years, the ambassadors of Italy and Jordan came together to hold a conference on 3 June 2015 with the representatives of leading international organizations which address the problem, and the ambassadors of nations which share the same concern. As an intern at the United Nation Academic Impact (UNAI), I had the privilege of attending this critically relevant conference. This burning issue of today is important mainly for two reasons- it obliterates the unique character of a society and secondly, the money it generates often gets appropriated by terrorist organizations.
When the UN Security Council unanimously adopted the Resolution of 2199 (2015), it strongly condemned the destruction of the cultural heritage of Iraq and Syria particularly by ISIL and the Al-Nusrah Front. The panel consisted of representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Interpol, Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, and the co-founder and Chairman of the Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University.
UNESCO is already one year into implementing a three pronged approach which incorporates the following measures – continuous assessment as well as documentation of the cultural heritage situation in Syria; reducing the destruction and ruin of Syrian cultural inheritance through national and international statements as well as awareness raising efforts; and finally, the protection and safeguarding of Syrian cultural heritage with the help of improved technical assistance and man power. The project has shown great promise. UNESCO identified as its primary concern the critical nature of the situation which requires immediate and effective action. The organization has been actively engaged in the training of security personnel at airports and border crossings to equip them with the required skills to identify and restrict the trafficking of cultural property.
UNODC systematically divided the trafficking of cultural properties into three stages of origin, transit and transfer/destruction. The origin is the ideal point at which to implement security and to protect the property. The representative of the UNODC stressed the vital need to monitor the heritage sites, to raise awareness among people, to facilitate the reporting of the issue by witnesses and to ensure quick response from the authorities. The second stage which is the transit phase refers to the time spent between the point of origin and the point at which the property leaves the country. The plan to forestall the calamity at this stage primarily focuses on the authorities controlling the border. Accurate information about the stolen property and a competent alert system warning the authorities with details of the hijacked goods would greatly enhance chances of recovery at this stage. Lackadaisical attitude of the authorities as well as corruption may be suspected as the stolen articles are often of formidable size and quite unlikely to escape notice. Frequent, effective monitoring of the officials however, could produce positive results. Once the property has left the country of origin, it would be in the transfer /destruction phase and retrieval at this point could be a prolonged and arduous task. The state may have by then, lost the authority to take direct action and might require the assistance of international authorities to recover the heritage properties.
Through the Interpol Global Database, the Interpol offers 24 hour access to information on cultural property that is suspected of being trafficked. The Database carries detailed information on more than 400 cultural items owned by 30 different countries. Interpol aims to create general awareness about the issue of trafficking in cultural properties and to educate and train the authorities to identify and retrieve stolen articles. The organization collects information on cultural properties with the help of museums and such other institutions so as to be able to provide accurate descriptions of items in the event of a hijacking. Interpol also tries to provide information on the probable market for individual artefacts. Such venues could be alerted on the hijacked property and reporting of the matter may be encouraged.
The Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage has also developed their own database for stolen works of art, called the Leornardo. They have also implemented the PSYCHE (Protection System for Cultural Heritage) project to fight the illicit traffic of cultural goods by developing an internationally accessible tool which facilitates the identification and recovery of stolen works of art. Basically, 'Psyche' aims to improve Interpol's database by facilitating data insertion and search by member countries. The project also aims to enable automatic data transfer between the Italian database Leonardo and the Interpol database.
Deborah Lehr, representative from the University of George Washington, came forth with impressive views on the importance of raising the awareness about the issue at the buyers' end. This would reduce the demand for cultural properties thus lending a blow to the finances of various terrorist organizations that thrive off trafficking in cultural properties. She opined that the buyers may often be unaware of the seriousness as well as the consequences of their actions. She concluded by pointing out that the nature of the issue demanded acting in all haste without allowing any delay owing to governmental ineptitude or apathy.
The United Nations Academic Impact division, moving emphatically towards its principle of commitment to promoting inter-cultural dialogue and understanding, and the unlearning of intolerance through education, applauds the advancement made by the international community towards the realization of this goal. Education can play a pivotal role in raising awareness and in ensuring that the new generation appreciates the inimitable differences and the unique splendour of the various cultures of the world. We often think of education as a socio-economic issue but it can very well act as a powerful means to promote peace and security. For instance, terrorist organizations often get their cannon fodder from the youth who have no stakes on the society. Education should equip the youth to employ their talents for the good of the community, motivate them to develop their potential to the full, nurture the air of open tolerance for the various cultures of the world, and bring an appreciation the beauty of diversity.
Destruction of the cultural property of a country is an assault on the cultural identity and uniqueness of a land. UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, at the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly which unanimously adopted the resolution on 'Saving the cultural heritage of Iraq', stated that 'The destruction of cultural heritage bears witness to a form of violent extremism that seeks to destroy the present, past and future of human civilization'. While the magnitude of the problem we are facing at the moment appears overwhelming and insurmountable, we must rise with the challenge to do the seemingly impossible. As Nelson Mandela said, 'It always seems impossible, until it is done.'