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The Antiquities Coalition was featured prominently throughout the Final Forum of Netcher, a transnational project aimed at reinforcing efforts to preserve cultural heritage around the globe. 

According to a March 30 blog post by Netcher, more than a hundred people from 33 countries logged on between March 1 and March 2 to attend its Final Forum, a free virtual event aiming to “present the project’s achievements, discuss them with the involved stakeholders, and identify new roads for implementation.”

During the poster session on the Final Forum’s first day, which was dedicated to conveying recommendations for preserving cultural heritage to professionals, Antiquities Coalition Project Director Helena Arose presented “Old Weapons for a New Fight: The 1970 UNESCO Convention,” an ArcGIS StoryMap in which the Antiquities Coalition not only explores the significant changes that have taken place over the 50 years since the signing of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, but also postulates how we can ensure that international law continues to preserve our history for future generations. This StoryMap can be found on our website.

On the Final Forum’s second day, which was dedicated to shining a light on cultural heritage crime, Antiquities Coalition Executive Director Tess Davis presented on international legislation, import and export regulations, due diligence and the achievements made by the Antiquities Coalition, including our Financial Crimes Task Force Report.

A few days after the Final Forum Concluded, Netcher released its Linked Projects Map, an interactive list of initiatives that have been launched in recent years to fight cultural heritage looting and trafficking. The Antiquities Coalition is included, categorized as an organization that deals in international cooperation through cultural diplomacy. You can find us on the map here.