Paris - 5 July 2007

Illicit traffic on internet. Appeal from ICOM, UNESCO and Interpol

PARIS – The illicit traffic of cultural property is currently one of the
most lucrative criminal activities in the world. Every civilisation’s
cultural heritage is universal and priceless, and the harm caused by illicit
trafficking has disastrous repercussions, not only on peoples’ understanding
of their history, and thus on their cultural identity, but also with regard
to the future of all humankind.

ICOM, UNESCO and INTERPOL are all the more concerned about this plague since
illicit trafficking in cultural property has increased at an alarming rate
over the past several years through the Internet, where it is difficult for
the national authorities to effectively monitor all of the objects offered
for sale.

Aware of the gravity of the situation, the three organizations co-signed a
letter covering Basic Actions concerning Cultural Objects being offered for
Sale over the Internet which they pledged to disseminate to all UNESCO and
INTERPOL States parties, as well as to ICOM’s national committees, regional
and affiliated organizations. To this end, the letter has been translated
into UNESCO’s six official languages which are English, French, Spanish,
Russian, Arabic and Chinese.

This letter, which you will find herewith, sets out a checklist of the Basic
Actions to counter the Increasing Illicit Sale of Cultural Objects through
the Internet. For this common initiative to prove effective, it is
imperative to communicate the letter to the concerned authorities in each
country.

Your participation is essential to enable us to carry out this
awareness-raising campaign. We are closely committed to fighting the illicit
traffic of cultural property, and we are very grateful for your support.

Contact:    Jennifer Thévenot
            Programme Activities Officer
            ICOM – International Council of Museums
            Tel.: + 33.(0)1.47.34.91.60
            E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Check also: http://unesco.org and http://interpol.int

For further information :
http://icom.museum/basic_actions.html

http://icom.museum/release.common.initiative.html

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