Strong Statement Follows Fourth Annual G20 Cultural Ministerial Meeting

From November 18–19, global leaders convened in Brazil for the 2024 G20 Summit. At this meeting, heads of state committed to building a fair, sustainable world with a specific priority to fight inequality. These discussions resulted in the 2024 G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration. 

Culture played an important role throughout the Brazilian presidency, which is reflected in the Declaration. In section 28, G20 leaders “recognize culture’s power and intrinsic value in nurturing solidarity, dialogue, collaboration and cooperation, fostering a more sustainable world, in all dimensions and from all perspectives.” They also enshrine key invocations for member states, including supporting relevant law and policy such as the UNESCO conventions, strengthening the protection of cultural heritage, and fostering an open dialogue about the restitution of cultural property. 

This strong language follows the fourth G20 Cultural Ministerial, held on November 8th in Salvador. At this year’s meeting, Brazil’s Minister of Culture noted the impact of the inclusion of culture in G20 technical discussions: “Through the power of its contribution, Culture has proven to be a genuine tool for promoting dialogue, showing the way to understanding and peace, and demonstrating how we can, through our diversity, create common development strategies.”

During its G20 Presidency, Brazil focused on four topics under the cultural working group:  cultural diversity and social inclusion; culture, digital environment, and copyright; creative economy and sustainable development; and preservation, safeguarding, and the promotion of cultural heritage and memory. The Ministerial meeting concluded with the signing of the Salvador da Bahia Declaration, which addressed each of the four priorities. Importantly, the Declaration reiterated the groups “concern about the continued looting and trafficking of cultural property” and reaffirmed its “commitment to strengthening the fight against crimes committed against cultural heritage and cultural institutions.” 

The Salvador da Bahia Declaration also called for specific actions, such as: 

• The full recognition and support of culture as an enabler for the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and as a potential standable goal in future development agendas 
• Strengthened global coordination to bolster the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property though cooperation, capacity building, technical exchanges, due diligence, and education
• The ratification and effective implementation of international agreements such as the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two protocols, the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects
• Support of an open and inclusive dialogue on the return and restitution of cultural property, including illegally exported property

The AC welcomes these outcomes, which reflect our own recommendations made in our Task Force Report, Safeguarding Cultural Heritage In Conflict Zones: A Roadmap for the G20 to Combat the Illicit Trade, published in 2021.

The G20, as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, is in a unique position to make a difference in the global fight against the illicit trade in antiquities and the protection of cultural heritage around the world. In 2025, South Africa will assume the presidency of the G20, marking the first time an African country has assumed this position. The AC looks forward to supporting these developments during its tenure, under the theme of “solidarity, equality and sustainability.”

Read the Leaders’ Declaration here.

Read the Salvador da Bahia Declaration here.

Read more about South Africa’s presidency here.

Organization Reflects on a Decade of Work in the Fight Against Cultural Racketeering

As long as there have been tombs, there have been tomb raiders. Yet in the modern world, this plunder is taking place on a scale never before seen in history. Criminals, armed insurgents, and even violent extremists are stealing entire chapters of our shared history to feed a growing demand for ancient art.

We created the Antiquities Coalition to fight back.

To protect our shared heritage and global security, the Antiquities Coalition is leading the global campaign against cultural racketeering, the illicit trade in ancient art and artifacts. We champion better law and policy, foster diplomatic cooperation, and advance proven solutions with governments, law enforcement, and the legitimate market. We are working towards a future when the past is preserved for the next generation, not looted, smuggled, and sold to finance crime, conflict, and terror.

Since our founding in 2014, we have grown from a startup to a major player in the field, which is now partnering with the United States, numerous foreign governments around the world, and intergovernmental organizations like the G20. We are the first to realize we still have a long way to go–however, we are proud of what we have been able to achieve. 

We have created a diverse network of partners, advocates, and supporters who share our mission, creating meaningful change to protect cultural heritage around the world. We have developed actionable recommendations for governments, the private sector, and civil society, raised awareness at key international conferences, launched impactful campaigns, and published significant research that has transformed our approach to this global crisis.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Antiquities Coalition, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our supporters—partners, advocates, and community members—who have joined us. We are proud to stand united with a diverse network of partners and supporters who share our mission.

On November 14, 2024, the Antiquities Coalition was honored to participate in the Seminar on the Occasion of the International Day against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property in Bangkok, Thailand. The event, co-organized by UNESCO and the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, brought together global leaders, cultural heritage experts, and law enforcement officials to address the ongoing crisis of illicit trafficking in cultural property, with a particular focus on the South-East Asian region.

Photo Courtesy of UNESCO Bangkok.

Our Executive Director, Tess Davis, joined a distinguished lineup of speakers, including H.E. Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, Minister of Culture; H.E. Robert Frank Godec, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand; and Ernesto Renato Ottone, Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO. This event, which also included a repatriation of Ban Chiang artifacts from the U.S. to Thailand, highlighted the challenges and opportunities faced by South-East Asia, a region rich in cultural heritage but vulnerable to illicit trafficking due to its numerous global trade hubs and its growing role in the art and antiquities market.

Davis joined other experts on the first panel discussion, “Legal actions and challenges in implementing laws for antiquity protection.” In her remarks, she addressed the benefits of ratifying the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Currently, only four out of ten ASEAN countries—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam—have ratified this important treaty, leaving significant gaps in the region’s defenses against cultural racketeering. Davis also stressed the critical role of organizations like the AC in bridging gaps between governments, law enforcement, the art market, and cultural institutions.

The AC is proud to have contributed to this essential dialogue and remains committed to raising awareness, strengthening policies, and fostering international cooperation to end the looting and trafficking of cultural property. We extend our gratitude to the Royal Government of Thailand, UNESCO, the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, and for their leadership in this fight. 

Watch the session here: https://fb.watch/whPj2wEZ4v/

Learn more about the repatriated objects here: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2898366/trafficked-antiques-to-be-brought-home

AC Convenes Global Experts at the 12th UNTOC Conference of the Parties

In the last 50 years, the UN has taken great strides to address the looting and trafficking of cultural property, from the Security Council, to the General Assembly, to offices and agencies including UNODC and UNESCO. However, organized crime in the cultural sector goes far beyond illicit trade. 

To effectively broaden the global approach to cultural crimes, the AC was proud to co-host a side event on the margins of the 12th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, titled Beyond Looting and Trafficking: Recommendations for  Combating Crimes Facilitated by the Art Market. In collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Governments of Italy, Mexico, and the United States, the event the reintroduced this critical issue to the meeting’s agenda for the first time in over 10 years, marking it as the only side event dedicated to cultural racketeering.

In her opening remarks, Executive Director Tess Davis emphasized the value of the topic’s inclusion: “UNODC has a valuable role to play, as does its groundbreaking instruments, especially the Conventions against Corruption and that against Transnational Organized Crime. These treaties, two of the most adhered to in the world, could be valuable tools in the fight against criminal misuse of the art market. UNTOC, specifically, can further the criminalization of relevant offenses, create frameworks for international cooperation, and strengthen training, assistance, and prevention.”

Criminals will and have gravitated to cultural property and the art market, where there are many opportunities, gaps, and loopholes to exploit in order to to commit a wide range of offenses from trafficking, to fraud, forgery, tax evasion, money laundering, and sanctions violations. In many jurisdictions, the sector is not yet subject to the standard legal protections and oversight covering similar high-risk, high-value industries. Art is frequently referred to as the largest unregulated market in the world, which, as these examples show, leave it vulnerable to bad actors. In addition, these crimes are often viewed as white-collar or victimless. Therefore, despite the work of law enforcement, there are few prosecutions for these serious crimes that threaten our shared heritage, national economies, and global security, meaning those engaged in these crimes see seizures, forfeitures, and repatriations as just the cost of doing business.

Speakers including Mr. Murat Yildiz (Trafficking in Cultural Property Lead of the Global Programme on Criminal Network Disruption for Border Management Branch at UNODC), First Chief Warrant Officer Monica Satta (Cultural Heritage Protection Carabinieri Command), Counsellor Diego Alonso Simancas Gutierrez (Deputy Representative of Mexico to the UNODC and the Wassenaar Arrangement), and Dr. Greg Borgstede (Division Chief in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Office of Western Hemisphere Programs) addressed these issues head on, providing a number of concrete recommendations for member states, the public, and the international community.

1. At the national level, there is a great need to study, harmonize, and update domestic laws, while providing much-needed training to legislative drafters, attorneys, and judges. Member states should also consider criminalizing cultural crimes as “serious offenses” under the UNTOC, if they have not done so already.
2. Successes in recovering objects are often due to interagency and international cooperation, which can be better facilitated by IGOs and the UNTOC. 
3. Approaches by member states to this issue can and should model approaches to other types of crime, such as drug, weapon, or wildlife trafficking – this can also make solutions more comprehensive and cost-effective.

UNODC reinforced the importance of the UNTOC framework for achieving these goals:  “The UNTOC framework is essential for tackling trafficking in cultural property and related crimes across borders. UNODC is committed to supporting Member States by enhancing the capacity of criminal justice practitioners—through technical assistance in prevention, detection, prosecution, and adjudication—to strengthen cross-border cooperation in the fight against trafficking and illicit trade.”

Crimes that involve cultural property or works of art are crimes, first and foremost. The AC thanks Italy, Mexico, the United States, and UNODC for sharing their expertise and experience, a strong sign that an increasing number of governments of the world recognize the need for action at the top to bar criminals from the $70 billion global art market.The AC remains committed to promoting  innovate solutions for combating looting and enhancing the protection of cultural heritage across the globe.