ICESCO Concludes Workshop on Protection of Cultural Property

At the headquarters of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in Rabat, the regional workshop on “The Role of Customs Authorities in Combating Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property” concluded its proceedings. 

The workshop was organized by ICESCO, in cooperation with the Qatar National Library, the General Customs Authority of the State of Qatar, and the Customs and Indirect Taxes Directorate of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The workshop concluded with a working session to present the “White Paper” methodology, which aims to strengthen coordination between customs authorities, build effective partnerships to combat cultural property smuggling networks, develop shared databases, and improve mechanisms for documenting and storing confiscated cultural property, thus contributing to enhancing customs efficiency and regional and international cooperation.

In the closing session, Mohamed Hedi Shili, Director of Legal Affairs and International Standards at ICESCO, presented the final recommendations and outcomes of the workshop, which called for strengthening cooperation and integration between customs authorities, law enforcement agencies, museums, and cultural organizations in the Islamic world in order to protect cultural heritage from illicit trafficking. Certificates of appreciation were also handed out to participants in recognition of their contributions to the success of this key regional event.