Cultural ministries historically played the largest role in combating the illicit antiquities trade, but taking down an illegal industry is different from excavating an archaeological site, preserving a historic building, or conserving an artifact. The illicit trade is not a preservation failure, but a failure of governance, law, diplomacy, civil society, and markets. It cannot be solved by better archaeology, but by strengthening law enforcement, international cooperation, and market integrity. In short, this is not a burden ministries of culture should bear, alone.
From Egypt, Jordan, and Cambodia to the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York City, we have repeatedly convened world leaders from key nations to shut down terrorist financing from cultural racketeering, strengthening international cooperation with concrete results.
We gather experts across different disciplines and industries to interrogate and discuss some of the field’s most pressing challenges.
We bring together speakers from around the world for accessible presentations on timely topics.
