Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Roundup: Conflict Antiquities: Forging a Public/Private Response to Save Iraq and Syria's Endangered Cultural Heritage

Following below are some notes on the September 29 2015 event at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. I have linked to supporting documents where I know of them, Please comment if you have corrections, additions, or your own synopsis of what was said. [Updated as new material becomes accessible]

Update: On 6th October 2015 the Department of Sate posted a set of documents relating to this conference. I have added that material below under the heading: Conflict Antiquities: Forging a Public/Private Response to Save the Endangered Patrimony of Iraq and Syria


Conflict Antiquities: Forging a Public/Private Response to Save Iraq and Syria's Endangered Cultural Heritage
The Department of State and The Metropolitan Museum of Art are co-sponsoring an experts’ symposium at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 29 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. that will feature two panels reviewing international cooperation against the looting and trafficking of antiquities from the conflict in Iraq and Syria...
 Opening speakers include Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Thomas P. Campbell, and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, followed by two panels.

Speakers on the first panel on “Looting and Destruction of Iraqi and Syrian Cultural Heritage; What We Know, What Can Be Done” were:

  • Michael Danti, American Schools of Oriental Research [See below]
  • Andrew Keller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, Department of State [See below]
  • Robert Hartung, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Department of State [See below]
  • Lev Kubiak, Assistant Director, International Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Homeland Security
  • Richard W. Downing, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
  • Mauro Miedico, Chief of Section, Terrorism Prevention Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Speakers on the second panel on “The Role of Private Institutions and Collectors in Fostering Best Practices and Public Education” were:
  • Jennifer Janisch, Investigative Producer, CBS News [See below]
  • Sharon Cott, Senior Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Ute Wartenberg Kagan, Executive Director, American Numismatic Society [See below]
  • Markus Hilgert, Director, Pergamon Museum [See below]
  • Sandy Cobden, General Counsel, Christie’s Auction House
  • Wolfgang Weber, ‎Head of Global Regulatory Policy, eBay
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel will speak at the conclusion of the event.
Morag Kersel assembled the Twitter traffic on the hashtag #HeritageInPeril as follows:
by Morag M. Kersel
Needless to say there will  continue to be residual comment using that hashtag. Many thanks in particular to Andrew Reinhard and Christopher Jones who were present in the room and who live-tweeted the conference making it live for us who were not there especially after the video stream went dead in the second half of the program.

In the first panel:
The second panel was not visible remotely:
Other summaries:

Conflict Antiquities: Forging a Public/Private Response to Save the Endangered Patrimony of Iraq and Syria
The Department of State and The Metropolitan Museum of Art co-sponsored an experts’ symposium at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 29 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. that featured two panels reviewing international cooperation against the looting and trafficking of antiquities from the conflict in Iraq and Syria.
Panel discussions highlighted the connection between ISIL’s looting and trafficking of antiquities and the financing of its terrorist operations; emphasized the importance of effective international law enforcement action to curb the activities of traffickers, and unscrupulous dealers and collectors; identified practical ways to share information and documentation on the looting and destruction of Iraqi and Syrian archeological and historical sites; and forged public-private education and advocacy campaigns about best practices for museums, collectors, and auction houses around the world. U.S. government representatives provided new evidence that ISIL is looting for profit and discussed a new initiative to combat the trade in conflict antiquities.
Video: Deputy Secretary Blinken's Remarks
Deputy Secretary Blinken speaks on the extension of the "Rewards for Justice Program" at “Conflict Antiquities: Forging a Public/Private Response to Save the Endangered Patrimony of Iraq and Syria.
Video: Assistant Secretary Ryan's Panel
Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan delivers remarks at a symposium on “Conflict Antiquities: Forging a Public/Private Response to Save the Endangered Patrimony of Iraq and Syria.
- See more at: http://eca.state.gov/cultural-heritage-center/conflict-antiquities#sthash.PCN6IHcl.dpuf


Please comment if you have corrections, additions, or you own synopsis of what was said.

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