Participants at the 2023 U.N. Counter-Terrorism Week side event “Addressing the linkages between the destruction and illicit trafficking of cultural property and terrorism: scope of the threat and responses to the phenomenon” on 22 June 2023 in New York.
Following the concerns expressed by the Security Council on the unlawful destruction and trafficking of cultural heritage, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) co-organized, with the support from the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations, a side event to provide an overview of current and emerging trends relating to the destruction and illicit trafficking of cultural property and their linkages with terrorism. This event took place on 22 June 2023, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Experts from civil society, academia, and relevant intergovernmental organizations were invited to share different aspects of the phenomenon at a national, regional, and international level. This included the investigation and prosecution of relevant offenses and the development of relevant action plans and multilateral initiatives.
As reaffirmed by resolution 2347 (2017), the deliberate and unlawful destruction of cultural heritage sites may constitute, pursuant to international law, a war crime, and its perpetrators must be brought to justice. The Council has further underscored the ways in which the looting and smuggling of cultural property can be exploited by terrorist groups as a means to generate revenue to support recruitment efforts and strengthen their organizational capacity.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Gianluca Greco, Deputy Permanent Representative for the Permanent Mission of Italy, supported the ideals of the resolution by stating: “…terrorism, in respect of cultural heritage, has two approaches: the annihilation of the roots of a community and/or as source of revenue; thereof the destruction or the illegal trafficking of cultural goods.” Several legal and policy tools used to effectively prevent and counter this phenomenon were mentioned, including the recently adopted 2022 European Union Action Plan against Trafficking in Cultural Goods. Italy also emphasized the value of leveraging intelligence through the Carabinieri's cultural database "Leonardo," containing information on over one million stolen works of art, to identify stolen cultural goods in both legitimate and illicit art markets worldwide.
Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of CTED stated, “When condemning the unlawful targeting of cultural heritage in armed conflict, the Security Council reminded us of the way in which in certain contexts, the destruction of cultural heritage by terrorist groups represents a clear attempt to deny historical roots and cultural diversity. Cultural heritage is an integral part of people’s identity and social cohesion. Its intentional destruction should be considered an affront to humanity as a whole.” In response to these threats, Member States have been called upon to enhance their law enforcement and judicial cooperation and introduce effective national measures at the operational and legislative levels.
Director of Culture and Emergencies at UNESCO, Krista Pikkat, expanded on some of the UN initiatives taken in this field, including UNESCO’s “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative. She noted, “UNESCO welcomes this initiative as particularly relevant and timely, in a context where culture faces heightened and multiple risks from conflicts and other global challenges. We are gathered here today under the conviction that the protection of culture is a security imperative, and key for building and maintaining peace. It is therefore our common responsibility to protect culture and the cultural diversity in the world.” The initiative aims to rehabilitate cultural and religious landmarks damaged or looted by Da’esh during its occupation, as well as crimes related to Iraq’s cultural heritage.
The discussions also featured operational cases presented by practitioners, highlighting the crucial role of international cooperation. A prominent example is the ongoing work of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit under the Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, which has developed a unique expertise in tracing the international routes to traffic looted cultural goods, as well as related financial flows, from their origin to destination countries. Col. Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit in New York, emphasized the need for teamwork and cooperation by addressing the common threads found in the international illicit trade of cultural property. All experts also underscored the importance of parallel financial investigations.
“Because of our challenges in Iraq we have taken, with the assistance of our friends at the United Nations system with Member States, serious measures to protect Iraqi artifacts from smuggling and illegal trafficking. We have gone through all of the resolutions, I had the privilege of being involved in quite a few of them. But, if I have just one message here today, I would like to go back to what the Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit said: success was based on partnership. That is what made that unit successful,” stated H.E. Mr. Sarhad Fatah, Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations.
The presentations also highlighted concerns that despite some efforts, the understanding of the destruction and trafficking of cultural property in connection with terrorism remain inadequate. Detecting, investigating, and prosecuting the illicit trafficking of cultural property, particularly when associated with terrorist groups, continues to be challenging given the limited awareness and under-prioritization of the issue, insufficient understanding on the linkages between organized crime groups and terrorists in this area, insufficient efforts to enhance the capacity and expertise of national criminal justice practitioners in addressing the phenomenon (including in high-capacity States), insufficient data collection, and need for more coordinated international cooperation through both formal and informal channels.
To support Member States in addressing these challenges, CTED, UNESCO, and the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) are partnering to launch a three-year project that will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon and provide valuable guidance to on how to enhance criminal justice responses thereto. This is in accordance with Member States’ obligations and commitments under international law to prevent and counter the trafficking of cultural property and related offenses.
The concept note and agenda are available here.
A Flickr album with photos from the event can be found here.
You can watch the webcast here.
For more information about other Counter-Terrorism Week events, please visit this page.