Fighting the illicit traffic of cultural property in South-East Europe: Information, communication and awarenessraising strategies An international expert meeting organized by the UNESCO Venice Office and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports of Albania With the support of the One UN Coherence Fund in Albania Tirana, 23 November 2011
AGENDA OF THE MEETING Background The fight against illicit traffic remains today very high on the political agenda of all SEE 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. Albanian authorities, more specifically, ratified the 1970 Convention in 2002. Within the framework of UNESCO s activities for the enhancement of the protection of cultural objects and the fight against their illicit traffic, the UNESCO Venice Office finalized in May 2011 a 15-minute video, with the support of National Commissions and Ministries of Culture, on the sensitization to the fight against the illicit traffic of cultural goods, specifically dedicated to the South-East European region. The geographical scope of this film covers the following countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey. The video was done also to complement and adapt for the purpose of the South-East Europe region the 15mn video prepared in 2010 by UNESCO to explain and promote the 1970 convention. The video can be accessed at the UNESCO Venice Office YouTube channel link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0k5mqzvtzc This new video was done for a large audience, with the goal to raise public awareness about the fight against illicit traffic of cultural property in South-East Europe; promote best practices; put the emphasis on issues specific to the region (such as the fight against looting of religious heritage); show images of famous and valuable stolen and recuperated objects; promote the value of all types of movable cultural properties; increase awareness of the wider public on the importance of their contribution to the appropriate management/protection of their cultural heritage. This informative and awareness-raising film, prepared with simple and clear messages, was done to promote the ideals and objectives of the 1970 Convention in SEE (prevention, cooperation) and with the ambition to be widely diffused, in particular, by TV networks, museums and cultural institutions, world heritage sites, tourism offices, public transportation networks (bus, airports, trains) from the SEE region. The film would therefore serve to show the important dimensions of illicit traffic in South East Europe, the necessity to mobilize public opinion, to develop and share good practices through regional and international cooperation. In this context, it was thought to organize a first meeting that would bring together, around the Albanian case, the key national players affected by the implementation of the 1970 Convention, a few international experts and especially representatives involved in communication and outreach policies and strategies.
Objectives This meeting is a very opportune moment to reflect on global cooperation strategies, especially with regards to communication and awareness-raising tools. For UNESCO, a major priority is not the judicial approach: it is rather to help countries in building their human and institutional capacities: national inventories, databases, tools for information and communication, exchange of best practices, awareness-raising. In March 2006, the UNESCO Venice Office had already organized a first expert meeting in Ohrid (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) to discuss regional cooperation mechanisms. At that time, the recommendations were to enhance relevant legislations, national inventories and databases training, security measures, cross-border cooperation, constant exchange of information, expertise and experience. Further to the realization of the video, UNESCO is organizing, in cooperation with the Albanian Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, this meeting in Tirana, specifically dedicated to the Albanian situation, to reflect on communication tools at a national level, and to reach out to various stakeholders involved specifically in communication, distribution and awareness-raising policies, mechanisms, and strategies: tourism professionals, museums, cultural institutions, internet sites, TV and social networks, radios, heritage sites, ministries of culture, tour operators, airline companies and major airports, auction houses, art galleries. Thanks to the generous support of the Austrian Federal Government, the video was translated in Albanian language. This allows UNESCO and the Albanian Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports to organize today a national meeting on awareness-raising and sensitization policies. The Albanian version of the video is accessible at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eli74miodqa Outputs of the meeting - Discussion with key national stakeholders on new communication and outreach tools, strategies, campaigns, policies, mechanisms concerning the fight against illicit traffic of cultural property. - Agreement with key national stakeholders on national distribution and dissemination of the UNESCO video. Target groups to be invited: ministry of culture, police and customs, tourism professionals, museums, cultural institutions, internet sites, TV and social networks, radios, responsible management heritage sites, tour operators, airline companies and major airports, auction houses, art galleries. Working Language: English/Albanian Venue: Rogner Europa Park
Accomodation: Rogner Europa Park, Bulevardi Deshmoret e Kombit AL-Tirana Tel. +355 (4) 2235035 Fax +355 (4) 2235050 info@tirana.rogner.com PROGRAMME OF THE MEETING Tuesday 22 November 2011 Arrival of foreign participants, transfer organized from airport to hotel. Welcoming dinner offered by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports. Venue (tbc) Wednesday 23 November 2011 9h00-9h30 Welcoming addresses: - Mr. Aldo Bumçi, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports - Mrs. Zineb Touimi-Benjelloun, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative - Mr. Anthony Krause, Chief Culture Unit, UNESCO Venice Office Session 1, moderated by Mr. Ols Lafe, Director of National Heritage, MoTCYS: National policies and strategies for public awareness for the fight against illicit traffic of cultural property 9h30-10h00: 10h00-10h20: 10h20-10h40: 10h40-11h00: Introduction by Anthony Krause (UNESCO Venice Office) and projection of the UNESCO Venice Office Video Fighting the illicit traffic of cultural heritage in South-East Europe (15, Albanian version) The legal framework, obstacles and achievements of MoTCYS in the fight against illicit traffic of cultural property, presentation by Ols Lafe, Director, Cultural Heritage Department, MoTCYS The Role of the Centre of Inventorying of Cultural Goods in preventing the illicit Trafficking of cultural properties, presentation by Izet Duraku, Director, National Centre of Inventorying of Cultural Goods, MoTCYS Coffee break
11h00-11h20: 11h20-11h40: 11h40-13h00: 13h00-14h00: The institutional measures ensuring for the prevention of the Illicit Trafficking of the Cultural Properties, presentation by Apollon Bace, Director of Institute of Monuments of Culture, Albania The role of media in raising the awareness against the illicit trafficking and any damage to the cultural properties, presentation by Aleksander Cipa, Head of Journalist Association discussion-debate, questions and answers Lunch/Buffet. Venue Rogner Europa Park Session 2, moderated by Anthony Krause, Chief Culture Unit, UNESCO Venice Office: Communication and awareness-raising programmes: a comparative perspective on best practice 14h00-14h30: Presentation by Maria Minana, UNESCO, Culture Sector, 1970 Convention Secretariat. 14h30-14h50: Presentation by Fabrizio Panone, Criminal Intelligence Officer, Interpol, Interpol 14h50-15h10: 15h10-15h30: 15h30-15h50: 15h50-16h10: 16h10 16h30: 16h30-18h00: Presentation by Benno Widmer, Chief Cultural Goods Unit, Federal Office of Culture, Switzerland Presentation by Christos Koutsothanasis, Directorate for the Documentation and the Protection of Cultural Goods, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism Coffee break Looting of Archaeological sites and professional responsibility, presentation by Lorenc Bejko, MA Program on Cultural Resource Management, Tirana University Presentation by Ardian Cipa, Ministry of the Interior, Dept. of Illicit Traficking, Head of Cultural Goods Section Discussion-debate, questions and answers 18h00-18h30: Conclusions by Eni Juca, Secretary-General of Albanian National Commission for UNESCO, Anthony Krause, Head of Culture Unit (UNESCO Venice Office), Ols Lafe, Director of Cultural Heritage Directorate (Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports) 20h00: Dinner offered by UNESCO. Venue: Restaurant Il Gusto.