Training Course on the protection of Syrian Cultural Heritage

From 10 to 13 February in Amman (Jordan), a training course will take place for Police and Customs officers and for representatives of the organizations of the Middle East Countries. The training will be focused on the protection of Syrian Cultural Heritage. The aim of the meeting is also to project a strategy to fight illicit trafficking of Cultural Heritage in Syria.

The meeting, highly technical and practical, was organized by the UNESCO Office of Amman and by the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Treaties Section. Participants at this meeting include representatives of INTERPOL, WCO, ICCROM, ICOM, ICOMOS, other important specialized organizations and the delegates of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.

A Carabinieri officer, representative of the specialized Department for the protection of Cultural Heritage ( TPC), has been invited to present  the work carried out by the Carabinieri  in Iraq, from 2003 to 2006 at the end of the conflict, and to show the strategic role carried out by  a well-known  department that has attained successful results in the protection of cultural heritage. 

The officer of the TPC department (who, since February 2012, has been working as technical adviser within the  UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Treaties Section and also  actively participated in the organization of this  meeting in Amman), will speak about   the importance of a technical database of stolen objects for search and recovery efforts,   and the modalities for return and restitution of illegally exported works of art.

In addition, an Italian archaeologist from  the University of Roma-La Sapienza, representative of the many  Italian archaeological research missions conducted  in Syria, will provide  her experiences and knowledge in the field to help us better understand Syria’s delicate situation and to illustrate the concrete actions required at this times to help preserve the rich cultural heritage of this Country.