BLUE SHIELD UNITED KINGDOM CONFLICT AND MILITARY ACTIVITY WORKING GROUP WEBINAR SERIES |
Are you a UK heritage professional?
Are you free Friday lunchtimes? The BSUK Conflict & Military Activity Working Group is hosting a free series of webinars about conflict and the risks to UK heritage, your obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict - and how you can prepare your institutions for these risks. It will be hosted on
All are welcome to attend, but especially heritage professionals, students, and members of the armed services. The link to register can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/whZtmimcXn |
Schedule
Friday, March 21: Emma Cunliffe, Protecting Culture in Conflict: A UK Perspective on the 1954 Hague Convention
Friday, April 25: Andy Davis, Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
Friday, May 23: Timothy Fagg, Civic-Military Cooperation in Relation to Defense Using Cultural Property Protection
Friday, June 20: Brittni Bradford, Civic Safeguarding Preparations for the 1954 Hague Convention
Friday, July 18: Protecting Domestic Cultural Property in Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Britain and Italy in the Second World War
Friday, April 25: Andy Davis, Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
Friday, May 23: Timothy Fagg, Civic-Military Cooperation in Relation to Defense Using Cultural Property Protection
Friday, June 20: Brittni Bradford, Civic Safeguarding Preparations for the 1954 Hague Convention
Friday, July 18: Protecting Domestic Cultural Property in Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Britain and Italy in the Second World War
Speakers
Emma Cunliffe, March 21
Protecting Culture in Conflict: A UK Perspective on the 1954 Hague Convention
What do you know about the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, an important part of UK law? You might think the UK won’t be in an active conflict in your lifetime, but we don’t know what the future holds. More importantly, the legal obligations and recommendations in the Convention provide a good practice framework for disaster risk reduction in many contexts, but are too often ignored. Whilst conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest pose their own unique set of challenges, many of which UK heritage institutions are completely unprepared for, the Convention provides a set of good practice recommendations for the UK heritage sector. This talk opens the Blue Shield UK 1954 Hague Convention webinar series (2025). Aimed primarily at UK heritage professionals, it will tell you about the Convention, and give a brief overview of the obligations under UK law, setting the scene for a year of expert webinars to provide the UK heritage sector with more information on this critical topic, as well as introducing Blue Shield United Kingdom, the UK branch of an international NGO dedicated to the protection of heritage in conflict and disaster.
Dr Emma Cunliffe is a Senior Research Associate within the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University, and a member of the Secretariat of Blue Shield International. She is a Fellow of the Newcastle University Policy Academy, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Emma has been actively involved with BSUK since its (re)founding in 2012. She served as Secretary for much of that time until stepping down in 2023, staying on as a Member. She has over a decade of experience in researching heritage protection and destruction and international law, particularly the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, lobbying for ratification and better implementation of international law and carrying out projects with partners on the ground. She carries out military training in CPP around the world. In the UK, she has been an active contributor to policy and lobbying regarding UK implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention, and to military training.
Protecting Culture in Conflict: A UK Perspective on the 1954 Hague Convention
What do you know about the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, an important part of UK law? You might think the UK won’t be in an active conflict in your lifetime, but we don’t know what the future holds. More importantly, the legal obligations and recommendations in the Convention provide a good practice framework for disaster risk reduction in many contexts, but are too often ignored. Whilst conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest pose their own unique set of challenges, many of which UK heritage institutions are completely unprepared for, the Convention provides a set of good practice recommendations for the UK heritage sector. This talk opens the Blue Shield UK 1954 Hague Convention webinar series (2025). Aimed primarily at UK heritage professionals, it will tell you about the Convention, and give a brief overview of the obligations under UK law, setting the scene for a year of expert webinars to provide the UK heritage sector with more information on this critical topic, as well as introducing Blue Shield United Kingdom, the UK branch of an international NGO dedicated to the protection of heritage in conflict and disaster.
Dr Emma Cunliffe is a Senior Research Associate within the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University, and a member of the Secretariat of Blue Shield International. She is a Fellow of the Newcastle University Policy Academy, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Emma has been actively involved with BSUK since its (re)founding in 2012. She served as Secretary for much of that time until stepping down in 2023, staying on as a Member. She has over a decade of experience in researching heritage protection and destruction and international law, particularly the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, lobbying for ratification and better implementation of international law and carrying out projects with partners on the ground. She carries out military training in CPP around the world. In the UK, she has been an active contributor to policy and lobbying regarding UK implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention, and to military training.
Andy Davis, April 25
Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
This webinar will examine some of the threat sources that are impacting the cultural and heritage sectors across the UK and internationally including from organised crime, insider threats, terrorists and protesters. It will discuss the current security situation and steps that are or can be taken to proactively reduce and manage the risks the different threat sources pose. The remaining time will then be spent in a Q&A session.
Andy Davis is the Managing Director of Trident Manor Limited, a security, risk and crisis management consultancy, based in the northeast of England.
His security background stems from intelligence and security work within the military and the police, time as a diplomat responsible for the protection of governmental assets, and in the corporate sector.
He holds MSc. in Security and Risk Management, is a Chartered Security Professional, a Fellow of the Security Institute, and a Certified Protection Professional.
He has led on the establishment of Trident Manor’s Cultural Protection Services (CPS) which are now delivered globally to archives, museums, and other cultural venues. Andy has led cultural protection support for governmental bodies, national museum groups, and small independent to cultural venues. He established Trident Manor Training Academy which is believed to be the only training provider of CPD accredited cultural protection programmes in the UK.
Andy and the Trident Manor team continue to support the global cultural sector through ongoing social outreach projects aimed at protecting and preserving cultural heritage for future generations.
Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
This webinar will examine some of the threat sources that are impacting the cultural and heritage sectors across the UK and internationally including from organised crime, insider threats, terrorists and protesters. It will discuss the current security situation and steps that are or can be taken to proactively reduce and manage the risks the different threat sources pose. The remaining time will then be spent in a Q&A session.
Andy Davis is the Managing Director of Trident Manor Limited, a security, risk and crisis management consultancy, based in the northeast of England.
His security background stems from intelligence and security work within the military and the police, time as a diplomat responsible for the protection of governmental assets, and in the corporate sector.
He holds MSc. in Security and Risk Management, is a Chartered Security Professional, a Fellow of the Security Institute, and a Certified Protection Professional.
He has led on the establishment of Trident Manor’s Cultural Protection Services (CPS) which are now delivered globally to archives, museums, and other cultural venues. Andy has led cultural protection support for governmental bodies, national museum groups, and small independent to cultural venues. He established Trident Manor Training Academy which is believed to be the only training provider of CPD accredited cultural protection programmes in the UK.
Andy and the Trident Manor team continue to support the global cultural sector through ongoing social outreach projects aimed at protecting and preserving cultural heritage for future generations.