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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Combating Illicit Trade in Cultural Objects to Defend Peace and Security

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This chapter analyzes the emergence of the heritage-security nexus as a new priority in the international protection and security agenda with a focus on the threats associated with the illicit trade of cultural objects originating from conflict-ridden territories. First, it offers an overview of the existing legal framework protecting cultural objects from looting during armed conflict. It then considers how the protection of cultural property has evolved from a humanitarian law issue to one that is tied to the maintenance of international peace and security. In this latter regard, it outlines the growing concern and activity of the UN Security Council in respect of cultural heritage, including the creation of legal obligations established under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. It particularly focuses on Resolution 2347 (2017), widely lauded as “a historic milestone” in the international struggle to safeguard endangered heritage, and analyzes existing and envisaged methods for its implementation. In that regard, the chapter explains how the heritage-security nexus has generated new forms of trans-sectoral, -institutional, and -border cooperation, which can best be described as multilevel (and multilateral) governance modalities of protection, as well as further opportunities for education and awareness building. Finally, this chapter seeks to conceptualize the notion of “cultural heritage security” by analyzing the linkage between the maintenance of international peace and security and a system of multilayered cultural heritage governance built on legally binding international obligations and voluntary policy commitments.