To combat illicit trafficking, organised crime and international terrorism, the first weapon to deploy is… museums. Sceptical? We explain what they are for in 10 words.
Going to a museum fights terrorism, funds research and prevents crime. Does that seem too much? Yet according to experts, that is precisely the case. It was discussed, for example, in July 2016 at the MiCo in Milan, during the 24th international conference of Icom (International Council of Museums), at the round table entitled How can museums contribute to countering illicit traffic in cultural goods, organised to explain what museums can do in the fight against illicit trafficking — both of artefacts and of endangered species — that finances terrorism and organised crime.
Moderated by France Desmarais, Director of Programmes and Partnerships at Icom, the round table featured Eric Dorfman, director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and president of Nathist, Markus Hilgert, director of the Museum of the Ancient Near East within the Pergamon Museum, and Ieng Srong, Unesco officer responsible for the movable heritage of museums. Their contributions can be summed up in these ten words.
"There is a certain affinity between the protection of endangered species and the protection of archaeological artefacts. That is why the fight against illicit trafficking is similar," Dorfman notes. One of the key strengths available to museums is scientific research: an in-depth knowledge of endangered animal and plant species, as well as of the types of stolen artefacts, enables faster and more effective identification of criminals at borders.
Of the public, but also of politicians on one side and law enforcement on the other. According to Dorfman, it is museums themselves that must take charge of this education, passing on the scientific data they hold — on artefacts and on endangered species — to those who can use it to stop traffickers and poachers. Part of the training of local police forces must instead be carried out by Unesco, through the "corps" of the Blue Helmets of Culture, established last February at Italy's urging and drawing on the experience of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of our Carabinieri.
Between museums, nations and police forces from different countries. "Scholars, on their own, cannot stop the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. That is why a combined approach is needed, with police forces and museum officials working together." Hilgert recalls how in Syria — a country devastated by looting at the hands of Daesh, which also uses the sale of artefacts to finance itself — archaeologists, sociologists and IT specialists are working together to block clandestine exports. The sales, sometimes carried out by experts themselves, take place through web platforms: that is why internet monitoring by law enforcement is essential.
Since intervening directly in war zones where a conflict is ongoing is impossible, prevention is essential. But what does that mean? For Srong, for example, it means encouraging museums to create detailed databases of their collections, to be made available online to everyone — and above all to the relevant authorities.
This refers primarily to the sharing of data and is closely linked to the concept of prevention. There should be no fear of sharing: withholding information — and thus failing to update museum databases — puts collections at risk because it prevents stolen artefacts from being identified, not only by law enforcement but also by museums that might otherwise purchase them. Data sharing is a safeguard because it makes it possible to immediately recognise pieces sold illicitly.
"Many wild animals are killed to be stuffed and end up in collections. In response to this phenomenon, a certain public sensitivity has developed, but it is not yet enough," Dorfman notes. The key for museums may lie in initiatives — as engaging and "popular" as possible — to raise awareness among visitors, reminding them of the more than 35,000 species at risk of extinction and illustrating the harm to wildlife.
Greater public knowledge can reduce market demand for cultural goods, creating the conditions for a decline in illicit activity. We are still a long way from that situation, however, given that there are still many collectors who, according to Hilgert, regard purchasing such goods as a form of protection…
"We need to know the history of collections: artefacts often have belonged to museums for more than a century, when the regulatory framework was entirely different," Hilgert states. "We must make this effort and learn the history of our collections, re-read the documents. We need to know where our artefacts come from."
"Having a sound regulatory framework is not enough: if conventions are not ratified by the countries where artefacts are most at risk, the laws are useless." Srong makes this point when discussing the 1970 Unesco Convention governing the exchange of cultural goods between member states. The document defines cultural goods as encompassing both historical, artistic and archaeological objects and rare specimens of flora, fauna, mineralogy and anatomy.
Now ratified by 131 states — Italy ratified it in 1978 through Law 873, which came into force in February 1979 — it has yet to be incorporated into the national legislation of regions now at extremely high risk, such as Iraq, Iran and Syria, where the convention has merely been "accepted" but not ratified.
Srong again notes that "Museum professionals should operate ethically as though the most important conventions had been ratified, regardless of whether that is actually the case." By respecting the principles of the 1970 convention and personally protecting collections, museum professionals can truly make a difference and contribute to the creation of a fairer world.