Safeguarding Heritage and Securing the Global Market: Antiquities Coalition Joins Global Leaders in Rome to Prevent Art Crime
June 30, 2026
Executive Director Tess Davis contributes to high-level workshops and the “Rome Statement on Art Market Integrity”
Crimes involving art and antiquities pose major national security threats to countries globally.
Recognizing these clear dangers, on June 4–5 in Rome, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) hosted a gathering of international organizations, financial supervisors, law enforcement agencies, and private sector stakeholders to create actionable solutions to secure the global art market.
The workshop, “Balancing the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Prevention of Financial Crime,” resulted in the formal adoption of the “Rome Statement on Art Market Integrity.” This landmark document outlines non-binding conclusions designed to drive global awareness, supercharge international cooperation, and establish unified best practices.
Crucially, the Statement declares that the traditional separation between heritage protection and financial crime prevention is an outdated model. Moving forward, global actors should harmonize existing international standards—linking anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) frameworks directly with cultural property protection protocols.
As observed by the Antiquities Coalition Financial Crimes Task Force, the art market can serve as a lucrative vehicle for money laundering, sanctions evasion, and terrorist financing. Sophisticated criminal networks routinely exploit regulatory blind spots—directly undermining global financial stability and international security.
By actively aligning standards across the art and finance fields, the international community safeguards our shared heritage while ensuring the integrity of global financial systems.
Executive Director Tess Davis was honored to attend and contribute to these discussions. Reflecting on the event, Davis remarked.
“The “Rome Statement” underscores a powerful truth: as long as criminals exploit art and artifacts, we cannot protect our heritage without securing the modern markets that trade it. It’s past time that financial regulators and cultural experts see each other as partners in the fight.”
Read the “Rome Statement on Art Market Integrity,” here.
See the UNIDROIT press release to learn more about the workshop’s proceedings, here.
To learn more about past Antiquities Coalition initiatives to encourage responsible market and trade practices, visit the Financial Crimes Task Force, here.