Doha: Qatar Museums (QM) and the Qatar’s General Customs Authority (GAC) hosted yesterday a conference revisiting the Unesco 1970 Convention on Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property.
The conference, held at the Customs Training Center, provided insights into the prevention of theft and looting and best practices for the return and restitution of stolen cultural property. It also examined means to impede illicit trafficking in part by training customs officers who are on the front lines examining goods that travel through Hamad International Airport.
The opening session of the conference focused on how to overcome obstacles to implementing current international legal mechanisms and explored solutions centred on international cooperation. The interactive session provided a platform of an interesting discussion between Salah Khaled, Director of Unesco Doha Office for Gulf States and Yemen; Maria Bolner, Policy Adviser and Leader of the Cultural Heritage Program, World Customs Organization; Dr. Osama Al Nahas, Heritage Expert, Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO); Major General Lütfi Çiçek, Head of Interpol-Europol Department of Turkey’s General Directorate of Security; and Dr. Eleni Polymenopolou, Assistant Professor in the College of Law, Hamad bin Khalifa University.
Dr. Fatima Hassan Al Sulaiti, QM Director of the Department of International Cooperation, said: “We are pleased to provide support to Qatar’s General Authority of Customs through training, the exchange of knowledge, and the development of human and technical capabilities. Illicit trafficking of cultural property is an issue we must all work together to fight to ensure the protection of Qatar’s heritage.”
The second session examined new techniques, approaches, and tools being used to counter the illicit trafficking of cultural objects in Qatar. It presented valuable insights from Faisal Al Nuaimi, QM Director of Archaeology Department; Dr. Omar Al Azm, Associate Professor of Gulf Studies, Qatar University; Abdul Latif Al Jasmi, QM Director of Cultural Heritage Protection; and Talal Al Shibi, Director of Operations and Risk Analysis, General Customs Authority.
Mohammed Ahmed Al Mohannadi, GAC Assistant Chairman said: “The conference also shed light on the role of customs in controlling shipments and goods and limiting the illegal circulation of cultural property in all its forms.”
He also stressed the importance of the conference in enhancing the experiences of participants from participating local and international entities, especially the training of port customs employees as the topics covered during are directly linked to the core of their work at Qatar’s ports. He emphasised the General Custom Authority’s keenness to exchange expertise and experiences with its partners from local authorities across all disciplines.
