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16/11/2021

POLICY BRIEF: Think Tank Recommends British Government Close a Gateway for Illicit Cultural Property

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​Chair of Blue Shield UK, Fionnuala Rogers, has worked with the major NGO Think Tank, The Antiquities Coalition, to release of a Policy Brief that analyses the UK’s decision to Repeal the EU Import Regulation in Great Britain and prevent the resulting risk of Northern Ireland becoming a gateway to Europe for illicit cultural property. Rogers argues that the repeal creates a gateway to Europe for illicit cultural property through Northern Ireland, where the regulation still applies, and that the UK must take immediate steps to mitigate that risk.

This paper makes a series of recommendations to encourage the UK to rationalize its regulatory approach, meet its international commitments, and to set a leading example for other art market countries in cultural heritage protection.
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The objectives of the Regulation are both urgent and necessary, namely to safeguard humanity’s cultural heritage and prevent the illicit trade in cultural goods, particularly where such illicit trade could contribute to terrorist financing. The objective of the UK should be to strike a balance between prevention of illicit trafficking and maintaining a legitimate art market, while trying to streamline requirements, procedures and practices across the UK as much as possible when it comes to import.
Fionnuala Rogers, author and Chair of BSUK

Summary and link to the policy brief

The paper follows extensive lobbying by the UK Committee of the Blue Shield, including an earlier Press Release highlighting the issue and a Memorandum circulated to UK Government. The House of Lords cited UK Blue Shield and our Memorandum, and called the Government paper "misleading" when we challenged the Government's approach to N. Ireland in its repeal of EU Reg 2019/880 on the Introduction and Import of Cultural Goods (Hansard Debate).

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The Antiquities Coalition is leading the international campaign against cultural racketeering, the illicit trade in ancient art and artifacts. We champion better law and policy, foster diplomatic cooperation, and advance proven solutions with public and private partners worldwide. We are working towards a future when the past is preserved for the next generation, not looted, smuggled, and sold to finance crime, conflict, and terror. ​

​Fionnuala Rogers is a leader in the field of cultural property. Rogers is an art and cultural property lawyer, and founder and director of the specialist art and heritage law firm, Canvas Art Law Ltd. She is Chair of the United Kingdom Committee of the Blue Shield and member of the Blue Shield International Illicit Trafficking working group. 
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Read More about the Policy Paper in The Art Newspaper
And in The Telegraph

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6/11/2021

UKBS supports CPP training in Beirut

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Blue Shield UK was pleased to support a two-day training course on Implementing the 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA). The course was organised by In collaboration with the UNESCO Regional Office–Beirut, and led by Blue Shield International.
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The course ran on the 4th-5th November in Beirut, and was led by Peter Stone, BSI President and UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University, together with Dr Emma Cunliffe in the BSI Secretariat, who focussed on the 1954 Hague Convention, and Fionnuala Rogers, Chair of the Blue Shield UK National Committee, who focussed on illicit trafficking.

During the various sessions, the 25 participants were encouraged to explore and discuss the military responsibilities and opportunities provided by legal instruments relating to cultural property protection (CPP) with the aim of increasing their knowledge and understanding of Armed Forces obligations with regard to CPP before, during, and in the aftermath of conflict or natural disaster and over the long term, focussing on the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols, all of which have been signed by Lebanon.

The sessions involved lectures, group exercises, Question and Answer sessions, and discussions, enabling participants to increase their knowledge and understanding of International Humanitarian Law on cultural property protection, as well UN Conventions and other UNESCO legal instruments such as the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the 1972 World Heritage Convention, UN Security Council Resolutions and how these impact on LAF’s mandate and operating procedures. Participants were encouraged not only to consider legal issues relating to CPP and efforts to prevent illicit trafficking, but also how threats and damage to both tangible and intangible CP are intrinsically linked to the protection of people and impact on their wellbeing.

A number of sessions focused specifically on CPP in Lebanon and the importance of cooperation between LAF and the relevant Lebanese heritage institutions such as the Directorate General of Antiquities in times of conflict or natural and man-made disaster. It was a pleasure to enable and deepen collaboration and cooperation between LAF and the DGA throughout the Workshop.

At the end of the training, those who took part were presented with certificates.
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Participants on the training course from the LAF and DGA with the course trainers and organisers

Read more about Blue Shield work with the Lebanese Armed Forces

Read more about Blue Shield International’s work supporting DGA, UNIFIL and others in Lebanon following the Beirut Blast on 4 August 2020

Read more about the 1954 Hague Convention in our Law Library
​

Visit the website of UNESCO Regional Office – Beirut

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who we are
    • Activities
    • Governance and Structure
    • Working Groups >
      • Climate Change
      • Conflict & Military Activity
      • Emergency Planning & Response
      • Illicit Trafficking
      • Intangible Cultural Heritage
      • Underwater Heritage
    • History
    • Ethical Principles and Approach
    • Partners
  • Why We Do It
    • The Importance of Cultural Heritage
    • Why the Blue Shield is needed
    • Threats to Heritage >
      • "Natural" Disasters
      • Lack of Planning
      • Enforced Neglect
      • Development
      • Deliberate Reuse of Sites
      • Looting and Pillage
      • Lack of Awareness
      • Collateral and Accidental Damage
      • Specific (or Deliberate) Targeting and Damage
    • Blue Shield and the Armed Forces
  • News
  • Resources
    • Law Library >
      • The 1954 Hague Convention
      • MORE COMING SOON
    • Codes of Conduct: Antiquities Trading and Museums
    • Countering Object Trafficking: Tools
    • Document Library
    • Relevant Heritage Organisations
  • Events
    • Conflict Webinar Series
    • BS UK Symposium 2025
  • Contact Us and Get Involved
    • Membership and Volunteering
    • Contact Us