On Wednesday, 12 June 2024, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), The Soufan Center, and the Permanent Missions of France and Norway to the United Nations organized a policy event hosted at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations.
The event, entitled “Investigating and Prosecuting the Destruction, Looting, and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property Linked to Terrorism”, brought together United Nations Member States, United Nations entities, law enforcement agencies, members of academia and practitioners working on the preservation of cultural heritage, and civil society representatives to take stock of challenges and best practices in advancing accountability for cultural heritage crimes related to terrorism.
In their opening remarks, Ambassador Merete Fjeld Brattested, Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, and Ambassador Nathalie Broadhurst Estival, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations, welcomed the joint initiative of CTED, UNESCO and The Soufan Center. The Ambassadors stressed the importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation to bring about real progress in advancing criminal justice and underscored the role of the United Nations in this regard.
In her welcoming remarks, CTED Executive Director Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman highlighted that while the links between terrorism and the destruction of or trafficking in cultural heritage artefacts are well known, efforts to investigate and prosecute these offences remain relatively rare.
The Chair and Chief Executive Officer of The Soufan Center, Mr. Ali Soufan, highlighted how terrorist groups exploit cultural heritage for financial gain and to marginalize communities, stressing the need for enhanced accountability for these crimes.
During her keynote address, the Director of Culture and Emergencies of UNESCO, Ms. Krista Pikkat, highlighted her organization’s primary role in preserving world heritage sites. She stressed the importance of culture as a tool for resilience, response, and recovery, citing their flagship initiative in reconstructing Mosul’s cultural sites after their destruction by Da’esh.
The event also brought together distinguished expert panellists, who shared their experiences addressing the protection of cultural heritage in armed conflict and explored investigative approaches and legal avenues to prosecute individuals linked to terrorism for the destruction, looting and illicit trade of cultural property.
Ms. Michaela Millender from The Soufan Center discussed the scope and lucrative nature of trafficking in cultural heritage by terrorist groups, highlighting the way online platforms play an increasing role in such trafficking. She also recalled precedents set by international tribunals in prosecuting crimes against cultural heritage.
Ms. Nicole El Khoury, Senior Legal Officer, CTED, shared her organization’s approach to the protection of cultural heritage with Member States. She highlighted the assessment visit to Iraq by CTED and ongoing efforts in the country to prosecute Da’esh for cultural heritage-related crimes.
Dr. Ahmed Aubais Alfatlawi, Professor at the University of Kufa, Iraq, and a member of the National Committee of International Humanitarian Law, Office of the Prime Minister of Iraq, stressed the impact on communities of the destruction of cultural heritage by Da’esh, highlighted the challenges of bringing terrorists to justice, and called for stronger international support.
Speaking on behalf of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Dr. Anya Neistat addressed the challenges of prosecuting cultural heritage crimes, emphasizing the need for stronger international backing and more creative measures to advance accountability.
Ms. Leslie Rodrigues Backschies from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States of America, and Major General Francesco Gargaro, from the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Command, Italy, provided an overview of their respective institution’s efforts to address art crimes. They emphasized the importance of international collaboration throughout the investigation phases and for repatriation of cultural artefacts.
Ms. Corinne Muller from the Penn Cultural Heritage Center discussed the role of her organization, together with the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, in developing a methodology to document the destruction of cultural heritage in armed conflict settings and shared good practices on pairing law enforcement with art specialists to support effective investigations.
Following the panel discussion, audience members asked a few questions, including on the motives of the destruction of cultural sites by terrorist groups – either on ideological grounds or solely for looting purposes, the regulation of e-commerce platforms to prevent the sale of stolen cultural artifacts, the prosecution of demand-side actors, and the involvement of specialized civil society actors in combating these crimes.
Mr. David Scharia, Director of Branch at CTED, concluded by emphasizing the importance of public-private partnerships, including with online platforms, auction houses, and the arts sector, in protecting cultural heritage from terrorist groups and advancing accountability.
To watch the event in replay, see link.