West Africa takes action to fight against the loss of Malian heritage
Intensifying the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property in West Africa
Bamako, Mali, National Museum, 8-10 April 2013
UNESCO organized, in cooperation with INTERPOL, a sub-regional capacity-building and awareness-raising workshop on the fight against the illicit trafficking of Malian cultural property in the framework of the emergency action for the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Mali.
This activity constitutes the follow-up of the training organized in September 2013 on the same subject in Dakar for West-African countries. The training in Dakar enabled to conduct initial discussions on the need of a joint regional action concerning the protection of cultural goods.
More than 30 participants -mainly professionals from police and customs services from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo- benefited from this workshop.
The workshop in Bamako provided the possibility for the participants to further discuss as well as stimulate an efficient sub-regional cooperation to prevent the illicit exportation of cultural objects from Mali in particular but also from other West-African countries, which is one of the main goals of the action plan adopted during the International Experts Meeting for the Safeguarding of Malian cultural heritage (UNESCO HQ, 18 February 2013).
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