NCJ Number
214458
Date Published
February 2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This report presents an overview and analysis of Member States’ efforts to implement the United Nations (U.N.) resolution of protection against the trafficking of cultural property.
Abstract
The United Nations recognized the harm to a nation’s heritage that results from the theft and trafficking of cultural property. Member states of the United Nations were encouraged, through resolution, to implement effective measures at the national level to prevent these criminal activities. The efforts taken toward implementing this resolution against the theft of cultural property and trafficking in cultural property by 19 member states are presented. The 19 states are: Austria, Belarus, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Italy, Kuwait, Latvia, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, Oman, Peru, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States of America. Their responses vary in terms of actions taken toward the implementation of the resolution. For example, Belarus reported participation in an international conference on international cooperation between police, border, and customs services in combating crime and trafficking in property of historical and cultural value. Bolivia reported a 145 percent increase in the number of cultural objects cataloged in different areas of the country and reported on measures taken to control the export of works of art. Italy reported focusing on fostering international law enforcement cooperation to combat trafficking in cultural property, particularly in terms of sharing intelligence data. The Czech Republic enacted national legislation in 2002 that set additional conditions on the export of cultural property, while Peru reported on the monitoring of auctions and the establishment of an institutional unit at the international airport to detect the possible illicit export of cultural objects. The United States reported on a number of initiatives undertaken toward the resolution, including the implementation of bilateral agreements with other state parties with the goal of restricting the import of certain categories of archaeological and ethnological objects into the country. The U.N. is preparing an expert group to explore the challenges encountered in implementing its resolution. Notes