On September 24, 2015, the Antiquities Coalition in cooperation with the Asia Society, Middle East Institute, and UNESCO hosted the #CultureUnderThreat Forum at the Asia Society headquarters in New York.
The forum titled: “Culture Under Threat: The Security, Economic, and Cultural Impact of Antiquities Trafficking and Terrorist Financing,” brought together foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Australia and other senior government officials from around the world along with leaders of arts institutions, archaeological associations, and experts in terrorism.
The forum was held to address solutions to combat the looting and trafficking of antiquities and halt a major source of funding for terrorism.
The coordinated appeal from government leaders and experts resulted in the issuing of a Call to Action to combat looting and protect culture under threat.
The forum builds on the May 2015 Cairo Declaration, signed by ministers from ten the Middle East and North African countries, that outlined a regional strategy to combat the trafficking of looted antiquities and its links to terrorist financing.
The Antiquities Coalition is launching its second videos series on the 2015 New York Forum, #CultureUnderThreat. The interviews were conducted during the New York Forum on September 24, 2015 in New York City.
