UN calls for protection of cultural property in areas of conflict

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, has called on to strengthen efforts to better safeguard cultural property in various areas of conflict, as well as pursue longer-term measures to prevent terrorists and criminals profiting from trafficking WAM reports.

"States should be helped to discover stolen cultural property as part of efforts to dismantle criminal networks," Fedotov said in a statement issued by his office at the UN headquarters in Vienna.

UNODC is working closely with the United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture, UNESCO, the International Criminal Police Organisation, Interpol, the World Customs Organisation, WCO, and others to support and encourage comprehensive responses to stop trafficking in looted or stolen cultural property from affected States The UN official pointed out that there is a need to improve international cooperation in the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of cases related to trafficking in cultural property. "Only in this way can we protect precious cultural heritage from being lost forever," he added.