This meeting, developed within the framework of UNESCO’s new global initiative, “Culture: a Bridge to Development”, aims at building regional and local capacities in South-East Europe (participating countries are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey), bringing together 40 experts and professionals from the region. Beneficiaries from the training will be high level professionals from the region, representing experts from the ministries of culture, ministries of interior, the judiciary system, cultural sites or institutions challenged by situations of illicit trafficking, and media professionals. The meeting, conducted by a pool of international experts and professionals, will last 3 days and be structured around two trainings (a legal and an operational one) with the following modules: assessment of international and national legislations; Modalities for return and restitution; Training on the use of operational tools, especially for museums and cultural institutions; Police and customs role in the fight against illicit trafficking; Media and Awareness raising. The main objectives of the meeting are: ratification and effective implementation of the 1970 Convention and other relevant instruments on the fight against illicit traffic and the restitution of cultural objects; effective use of legal and operational tools to safeguard and preserve cultural heritage; development of national capacities for the protection and conservation of movable cultural property; and, awareness raised on the need of fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property. The meeting is part of a series of training sessions also organized by UNESCO in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, to strengthen the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural objects in UNESCO Member States.

A workshop is organized for the Libyan police units at the World Heritage Site of Sabratha, in order to build capacities concerning the prevention and fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property.This training is aimed at a selected number of staff from different bodies of various public institutions (such as customs and police departments) from the Tripolitania and Fezzan regions, with a view to enforcing an efficient protection system in the country and building-up Libyan police in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property in Libya. The World Customs Organization, INTERPOL and ICOM are also participating in this training, together with a number of international and Libyan archaeologists and university researchers.As part of a broader capacity building programme funded by the Government of Italy, UNESCO and the Department of Antiquities of Libya, this workshop follows the recommendations made during the first introductory workshop on prevention and fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property, which took place in Tripoli at the Libya Museum, from 27 to 30 April 2013.

The presentation will focus on the current situation of illicit trafficking in cultural property in the world.Ms María Miñana will present the “New challenges in the implementation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention. Fighting the illicit trafficking of cultural property: training and awareness raising”. The presentation will focus on the current situation of illicit trafficking in cultural property in the world, the challenges faced by UNESCO and its Member States, as well as the new mechanisms and activities put in place. The discussion will also provide an update on UNESCO’s action in this field, in particular in crisis situations.

This workshop is a follow-up to the training held in Lima from 22 to 25 October 2012 to reinforce capacities and raise awareness on the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property.The workshop will focus on advances in national legislation on the protection of cultural property, the preparedness and preventive action and emergency response of police forces in the event of illicit trafficking, the use of tools for the protection of cultural property and the development of systems of cooperation between the different institutions for the protection of cultural heritage. Each participating country sends 2 to 3 representatives, coming from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Parallel to this training, an awareness-raising programme is developed in partnership with local authorities. This event is financially supported by the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

The fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property remains a priority on the political agenda about culture of the South East European countries, which have all ratified the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, more specifically, ratified the 1970 Convention in 1997. This Seminar is aimed at officials from the Ministry of Interiors, Customs, Ministry of Culture and Cultural Heritage Protection Office of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Speakers include senior representatives from international organizations (UNESCO, INTERPOL, World Customs Organization / Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Western Europe WCO - RILO WE, ICOM) as well as of experts from Carabinieri and from other Italian authorities (Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Ministry of Justice) and specialized services.

In the framework of the project to strengthen national capacities in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property and promotion of its restitution in Central America, the workshops are addressed to national actors with a significant role in the implementation of the 1970 Convention. These meetings will be a forum to discuss and identify the needs and strengths of each country. The situation diagnosis will be presented in the Regional Meeting on Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property, which will be held in Antigua, Guatemala in late November. The illicit trafficking of cultural property generates a lucrative unlawful trade, with a great percentage of stolen artefacts never being recovered and harmful consequences for the cultural heritage of the source countries. Central America is especially affected by this problem: the lack of legal and practical measures and regulations at regional and national levels as well as of appropriate training and expertise for the protection of cultural property poses a serious risk to the safeguarding of their identity for future generations and hinders the potential of culture as a primary vector for economic development. The urgent need for Latin American and Caribbean countries to adopt a regional position towards the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property is explicitly mentioned in the Final Declaration of the Third Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which took place in Havana, Cuba from 18-19 September 2015.

In the framework of the project to strengthen national capacities in the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property and promoting of its restitution in Central America, the workshops are addressed to national actors with a significant role in the implementation of the Convention 1970. These meetings will be a forum to discuss and identify the needs and strengths of each country. The situation diagnosis will be presented at the Regional Meeting for Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property, which will be held in Antigua, Guatemala in late November. The illicit trafficking of cultural property generates a lucrative unlawful trade, with a great percentage of stolen artefacts never being recovered and harmful consequences for the cultural heritage of the source countries. Central America is especially affected by this problem: the lack of legal and practical measures and regulations at regional and national levels as well as of appropriate training and expertise for the protection of cultural property pose a serious risk to the safeguarding of their identity for future generations and hinders the potential of culture as a primary vector for economic development. The urgent need for Latin American and Caribbean countries to adopt a regional position towards the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property is explicitly mentioned in the Final Declaration of the Third Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which took place in La Habana on 18th and 19th of September 2015. The Declaration also encourages the creation of mechanisms to achieve an appropriate implementation of the UNESCO 1970 Convention and other international instruments – such as the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention-, as well as to acknowledge the crucial role of Latin American and Caribbean countries in the preparation and adoption of the Operational Guidelines of the 1970 Convention. In the framework of the project to strengthen national capacities in the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property and promoting its Restitution in Central America, the national workshops are designed to strengthen the capacities of national actors with a significant role in the implementation of the Convention of 1970. During two days we will work with a group of 20 people: customs agents, police officers, Interpol, lawyers, prosecutors, museum workers, representatives of the ministry of culture, the ministry of foreign affairs, etc. to share the different experiences in each field and see how the country is organized in preventing and combating illicit trafficking.