Director General/Executive Director
Mr. President,
Members of the Security Council,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Security Council under the presidency of Italy for its continued vigilance and attention to the need to stop the destruction, looting, trafficking and sale of cultural heritage by terrorist and organized criminal groups.
As the Security Council and General Assembly have recognized, we have a strong international framework in place.
I urge the international community to maintain focus on strengthening effective implementation of the following almost universally agreed instruments: the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the UN Convention against Corruption, as well as the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
UNODC has worked closely with UNESCO and INTERPOL, UNIDROIT and other international partners to assist Member States in promoting comprehensive responses to stop looted or stolen cultural property from being trafficked from the affected countries.
Looking ahead, we need to do more to support countries to detect stolen cultural property with a view to dismantling criminal networks.
We must build up international cooperation in investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating cases related to trafficking in cultural property.
We must also work to further promote the exchange of information on measures taken at the national level, including relevant criminal cases. This includes sharing such information with international organizations engaged in this fight.
The art market and museums should pay special attention to the provenance of cultural items that they are considering for acquisition, or with which they otherwise come into contact. Governments can help them to ensure that this care is diligently exercised.
UNODC remains fully engaged in working with our partners to support countries to build capacities and provide technical assistance.
The UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme has developed advanced training to better position Port Control Units to detect and interdict illicitly trafficked cultural heritage.
This includes specialized knowledge for region-specific types of cultural property and methods to detect shipments containing such goods, as well as criminal intelligence training and support.
We also continue to support anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering action, as well as provide technical assistance to prevent and counter terrorism financing, including through the illicit sale of antiquities.
The International Guidelines adopted by the General Assembly in 2014 represent a comprehensive reference for implementing the needed crime prevention and criminal justice responses.
UNODC has developed an assistance tool to help put the guidelines into practice.
The list of key actions outlined in Protecting Cultural Heritage: An Imperative for Humanity, which was developed by the governments of Italy and Jordan with UNODC, UNESCO and INTERPOL, also remains highly relevant.
I urge all Member States to use this expert resource.
Excellencies,
Even as we welcome news that groups such as ISIL are losing control over territories, we must take the opportunity to further strengthen efforts to better safeguard vulnerable cultural property in various areas of conflict, as well as pursue longer-term measures to prevent terrorists and criminals profiting from trafficking.
Only in this way can we protect precious cultural heritage from being lost forever.
UNODC's research and technical assistance capacities, reinforced by our network of field offices, remains at your disposal to support such action.
Thank you.