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Italy and UNESCO Create Task Force to Protect Culture

February 16 – Today, the government of Italy and the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO signed in Rome a landmark agreement to establish a Task Force to protect ancient cultural artifacts from the hands of extremists in crisis areas. The agreement was signed by Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova during a ceremony held at the Baths of Diocletian, an architectural landmark from ancient Roman times.

The “Unite for Heritage” Task Force will see the deployment of specialized personnel from the Carabinieri special unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, as well as civilian experts and private citizens with recognized expertise in the sector.

The Task Force’s main goal is to assess the risks and quantify the damage to cultural heritage in crisis areas, devise action plans, perform technical supervision, provide training courses for local staff, assist with the transport of movable objects to safe shelters and strengthen the fight against looting and the illegal traffic in cultural artifacts. The new agreement also establishes the International Training and Research Center on the Economics of Culture and World Heritage, a specialized center that will be based in Turin, Italy, where experts in the cultural-heritage-protection sector will be able to receive training.

“Terrorists want to erase diversity and pluralism,” Minister Gentiloni said at the opening ceremony, noting how this is especially the case in crisis areas. Cultural protection, Minister Gentiloni continued, “could be in the future one of the essential components in the fight against terrorism.”

The new initiative sets out to reinforce UNESCO’s Unite for Heritage (#Unite4Heritage) campaign launched in June 2015, which seeks to protect cultural heritage around the world from illicit trafficking and destruction. The UN agency’s strategy calls on Member States to contribute with rapid deployment of national expertise in emergency situations under the agency’s overall coordination.

Italy is the first country to have answered the call by proposing to UNESCO the “Blue Helmets of Culture”, i.e., the establishment of a rapid response team to ensure the safety of cultural heritage and fight illegal trafficking. The Italian proposal was unanimously adopted by the UN body’s 38th General Conference on November 18, 2015.

UNESCO hopes that other countries will take similar steps to reinforce the international community’s ability to respond to the growing threats facing cultural heritage around the globe. Ms. Bokova stressed that the establishment of the Task Force directly implements the strategy adopted by Member States at the General Conference in November.

“The agreement is a major and innovative step in our effort to gain recognition for the importance of cultural heritage in cementing identity, building social cohesion and fostering resilience in times of crisis,” Ms. Bokova said.

“The establishment of a Task Force bringing together cultural heritage experts and the Italian Carabinieri force specialized in the fight against the illicit trafficking in cultural property will enhance our capacity to respond to future emergencies,” she added.

Over the last few years, the terrorist group known as Daesh has reportedly destroyed monuments and other cultural sites across the Middle East, including the historic site of Palmyra. The terrorist group is also believed to derive some of its funds by selling stolen artifacts and ancient objects on the black market.

In addition to Minister Gentiloni and Ms. Bokova, attending the event at the Baths of Diocletian were Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini, Minister of Defense Roberta Pinotti, Minister of Education, University and Research Stefania Giannini, Carabinieri Commander-General Tullio Del Sette and the Mayor of Turin Piero Fassino.

For more media coverage, see:

Italy aims to keep art, artifacts safe from extremist abroad” – Associated Press

UNESCO, Italy form task force to protect cultural treasures” – Deutsche Welle

UNESCO and Italy team up to protect art and artefacts from terrorists” – The Guardian

Italy creates world heritage police” – The Daily Star (Lebanon)

UNESCO and Italy to create task force for cultural heritage conservation in crises” – UN News Centre

Italy launches task force to protect heritage from war and disaster” – Reuters

Italy pits top sleuths against world’s heritage looters” – Agence France-Presse

UNESCO created in Rome the first ‘blue helmets of culture’” – OnuItalia