Council of Europe colloquy on protecting cultural heritage from destruction and trafficking

High-level representatives from international organisations and national governments, as well as academic experts, will gather in Strasbourg on 13 January for a colloquy aimed at strengthening cooperation to protect cultural heritage from wanton destruction and preventing the illicit trafficking of cultural goods.
Organised jointly by the Cypriot chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers and its Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, the event will focus on the illicit excavation, sale and acquisition of cultural property, which has become a lucrative trade often linked to cross-border organised crime and terrorism. Notably in Iraq and Syria, Daesh has been plundering the region’s cultural heritage, deliberately destroying important archeological sites such as Palmyra and profiting from the sale of valuable stolen artefacts. More...