Illicit Trade as a Threat to World Heritage

Illicit trafficking of cultural objects and wildlife is one of the most serious treats to world heritage, protected under the 1972 UNESCO Convention. The illicit trade in heritage depletes cultures of their identity, it endangers the planet and helps to finance terrorism and organised crime. In spite of numerous efforts, the problem seems to have been growing surreptitiously across the globe. Therefore, we decided to devote an entire WHC@50 seminar to the enormous problem of illicit trade. In doing so, we will discuss a series of international legal instruments and policy initiatives, such as the 1972 World Heritage Convention, the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the CITES Convention system and the 2017 Nicosia Convention. The panel will look for synergies among these different international instruments in order to strengthen the fight against illicit trade in cultural and natural heritage