Qatar National Library hosted the third Doha Workshop on Combating Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Heritage, hearing from local, regional and international experts on how best to protect the history of the Arab region and the Middle East.
Under the theme "Strengthening Legislative and Legal Frameworks and Building Institutional Capacities", this four-day event has been organised in collaboration with the American, Italian, and French embassies in Doha, and offers a vital platform for boosting institutional capacity and fostering effective regional co-operation. It falls within QNL's role as the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Preservation and Conservation Regional Centre for the Arab world and the Middle East.
The event brought together a diverse group of regional and international experts from most countries in the region as well as representatives from specialised agencies such as Unesco, UNIDROIT, ICESCO, and the Carabinieri Unit of Rome for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, etc.
Tan Huism, Executive Director of Qatar National Library, emphasised the library's commitment to combating illicit trade since the launch of the Himaya Project in 2020, under which the event falls.
"Illicit trafficking leads to more than material losses; it erodes cultural identity and fuels unlawful activities that finance conflicts," she said. "By leading initiatives against the illicit trade in cultural objects, the Library reinforces its role as a custodian of our heritage, preserving documentary treasures and cultural artifacts through international cooperation."
The workshop's first day featured a comprehensive introduction to the international legal framework, including discussions on the 1970 Unesco Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. There was also a focus on the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention, which provides supplementary legal rules on the return and restitution of cultural objects.
The day concluded with a review of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) study on legislative strategies for combating illicit trafficking in the Arab region.
The workshop is part of a broader series of initiatives by the Library to combat the illicit trade of cultural items. In May, the Library hosted a session on combating the trafficking of documentary heritage in the Mena region during the 45th Conference of MELCom International, the renowned European Association of Middle East Librarians. Additionally, within the framework of the Himaya Project, a webinar was held in March to explore the use of Interpol's tools in the fight against the trafficking of cultural property.
