R E D L I S T O F
EGYPTIANCULTURAL
OBJECTS AT RISK
Press release
Contact France DESMARAIS / [email protected]: +33 (0)1 47 34 91 67 / Fax: +33 (0)1 43 06 78 62
Table of contentsPress release
Egypt’s cultural heritage
The Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects At Risk
Making of
ICOM’s fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods
International conventions National and international cooperation
ICOM’s tools in the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods
One Hundred Missing Objects The Object ID Standard The Red Lists The Art and Cultural Heritage Mediation programme
The International Council of Museums
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p. 4
p. 5
p. 7
p. 9
p. 12
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Press releaseParis, 6 February 2012
One year on from the events that took place in Egypt in 2011, ICOM’s actions to protect the country’s cultural heritage from the ensuing thefts of non-inventoried objects from archaeological sites and museums have led to the publication of the Emergency Red List of Egyptian CulturalObjectsatRisk.
ICOM publishes a new Emergency Red List: the Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects at Risk
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) announces the official launch, at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Cairo (NMEC), on 6 February 2012 at 10 a.m., of a new Emergency Red List: the EmergencyRedListofEgyptianCulturalObjectsatRisk. ICOM Director General, Julien Anfruns, officially presented the Emergency Red List, on this occasion, in the presence of the Director of the NMEC, Dr Mohammed Abdel Fatah. Following the presentation, Julien Anfruns had an official meeting with the Minister of State for Antiquities, Pr Mohammed Ibrahim Ali.
The ICOM Red Lists are important, effective tools designed to help police and customs officials, heritage professionals and art and antiquities dealers identify the types of objects that are most susceptible to illicit trafficking and therefore subject to smuggling and illicit trade. Following this important event, a seminar on illicit traffic and Red Lists will take place on 7 February 2012 at 9 a.m., also at the NMEC.
The EmergencyRedListof EgyptianCulturalObjectsatRisk was made possible thanks to the generous support of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
This ICOM initiative was conducted in cooperation with its International Committee for Egyptology (CIPEG), and with the participation of national and international experts in archaeology and history and the Ministry of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It aims to raise awareness among the local population, law enforcement officials and the international art and antiquities market.
«TheRedListshelpidentifythetypesofobjectsthataremostsisceptibletoillicittraffickingandthereforesubjecttosmugglingand
illicittrade»
«ThisICOMinitiativewasconductedwiththeparticipationofnationalandinternationalexperts»
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The Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects at Risk presents categories of objects spanning from the Predynastic, Pharaonic and Nubian era to Greco-Roman and Coptic Egypt, as well as from the Islamic Period.
The Emergency Red List aims to help art and heritage collectors, professionals and customs and police officials identify Egyptian objects that are protected by national legislation. Museums, auction houses, art dealers and collectors are encouraged not to acquire these objects without having carefully and thoroughly researched their origin and all the relevant national and international legal documentation.
« This Emergency Red List will concretely assist all those, inside andoutside of Egypt, concerned by an involvement in the protection ofEgyptianculturalheritage,byfurtherpreventingandreducingthe illicittradeandexportofthecountry’sculturalobjects», Julien Anfruns said, when presenting the Egyptian Red List in Cairo.
Due to the great diversity of objects, styles and periods, the EmergencyRedListofEgyptianCulturalObjectsatRisk is far from exhaustive. Any cultural object that could have originated in Egypt should be subjected to detailed scrutiny and precautionary measures.
The fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods requires the enhancement of both legal and practical instruments that will disseminate information and raise public awareness. By launching this new Emergency Red List, ICOM is reiterating its firm commitment to the protection of cultural heritage, specifically in post-crisis situations.
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U.S.DepartmentofStateBureauofEducationalandCulturalAffairs
ThisRedListwasdevelopedwiththesupportof:
«AnyculturalobjectthatcouldhaveoriginatedinEgyptshouldbesubjectedtodetailedscrutinyandprecautionary
measures»
Egypt’s cultural heritage
«Illegalexcavations
andthefthavedisastrous
consequencesforscientificresearch»
«Since1869,Egypthasdevelopedthelegalframeworkfortheprotectionofitsculturalheritage»
Egypt is home to an invaluable, world-renowned, diverse cultural heritage that stands as a living testimony to humanity’s artistic and scientific evolution. Protecting cultural goods from disappearing is of the greatest importance and is particularly true when faced with the irreparable damage that illicit trafficking in cultural objects can cause.
Vulnerable Egyptian artefacts vary from those relating to daily life to those of a religious or ceremonial nature. They could have been stolen from archaeological sites and, at certain specific times, taken from institutions housing them. The most sought-after artefacts are from the Predynastic, Pharaonic and Nubian era, as well as Graeco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic periods.
Egypt recognises that the illicit excavation of archaeological sites and theft from collections, damages the connection between an object and its context. In turn, this prevents accurate identification and diminishes an object’s cultural and historical significance. The resulting gaps impoverish the understanding of the country’s and the world’s history.
Since 1869, Egypt has developed the legal framework for the protection of its cultural heritage and multiplied efforts to counter their illegal trade. The national legal tools have greatly evolved, thus proving the country’s unwavering commitment towards the protection of its history and the importance it bestows on conserving its heritage.
Despite these efforts, Egypt’s cultural goods remain subject to illicit trafficking. Theft, looting and illegal trade and export are constant threats to the preservation of national heritage. Fighting the illicit trafficking of cultural goods is everyone’s responsibility in preserving the invaluable witnesses of Egypt’s and humankind’s evolution, history and artistic expression.
With the publication of the EmergencyRedListofEgyptianCulturalObjectsatRisk, and its worldwide distribution to police and customs officers, as well as heritage professionals, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) actively contributes to international efforts in the prevention and the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods.
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Emergency Red List of EgyptianCultural Objects at risk
Making of Following the events that took place in Egypt on January 2011, ICOM quickly mobilised its resources in an effort to protect the country’s cultural heritage. In an emergency, obtaining reliable information is of the utmost necessity, but, in certain cases, it also presents one of the greatest challenges. Thefts of non-inventoried objects from archaeological sites and cultural heritage institutions may become widespread in the aftermath of such situations, contributing to the smuggling and the illicit trading in art and antiquities.
ICOM Secretariat, ICOM’s Disaster Relief Task Force (DRTF) and ICOM’s International Committee for Egyptology (CIPEG), in cooperation with the Ministry of Antiquities, pooled their resources in order to analyse as accurately as possible the situation and risks that both the Egyptian heritage and the country’s museums and sites faced.
Investigative work led to the identification of perpetrated thefts and an assessment of the state of the country’s main archaeological sites. The outcome of these monitoring efforts enabled ICOM to respond to the needs of the international community while conducting an on-site evaluation mission in April 2011.
Following several exchanges with the Egyptian authorities, experts on the country’s heritage and members of CIPEG, ICOM Secretariat decided to launch the publication of a new Red List: the EmergencyRedListofEgyptianCulturalObjectsatRisk.
In order to make the List as pertinent as possible, ICOM and its experts also closely monitored and analysed the underlying trends in the Egyptian objects’ black market. The choice was then made for vulnerable artefacts included in the List to vary from those pertaining to daily life to those of a religious or ceremonial nature.
This project was developed and coordinated by ICOM’s Programmes Department and benefited from the close collaboration of: ICOM CIPEG members, Egypt’s national museums, and of the Ministry of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Red List was made possible thanks to the generous support of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. ICOM is also thankful for Dr. Regine Schulz, Dr. Salima Ikram and Dr. Ossama Abdel Meguid’s unwavering commitment towards the success of this project. As members of the Editorial Committee they played an essential role in the completion of the Red List.
«Thechoicewasmadeforvulnerable
artefactsintheListtovaryfromthosepertainingtodailylifeto
thoseofareligiousorceremonialnatureb»
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«Investigativeworkledtotheidentificationof
perpetratedtheftsandanassessmentofthestateofthecountry’smainarchaeological
sitesb»
Experts who contributed to the List are (in alphabetical order):
Mohamed Abass Selim, General Director, Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo;Claire Derriks, Curator, Egyptian and Middle-East Collections, Musée Royal de Mariemont in Morlanwelz, Chair of ICOM CIPEG;Tarek El Awady, Director, Egyptian Museum in Cairo;Yasmin El Shazly, Head of Documentation, Egyptian Museum in Cairo;Gawdat Gabra, visiting lecturer, School of Religion of Claremont Graduate University in Claremont;Salima Ikram, Professor of the Egyptology and Chair SAPE, American University in Cairo, Member of ICOM CIPEG;Mary Kupelian, Lecturer, Helwan University in Cairo;Ossama Abdel Meguid, Director General, Nubian Antiquities Salvage Fund in Cairo, member of ICOM Executive Council and of ICOM CIPEG;Iris Mesko, Integrated expert, Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo;Ahmed Mostaf Osman, Director, Department of Repatriation of Antiquities at the Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo;Gabriele Pieke, Curator, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin, Secretary of ICOM CIPEG;Regine Schulz, Director and CEO, Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum in Hildesheim, member of ICOM Executive Council and of ICOM CIPEG;Mervat Seif El-Din, Director of scientific research, Graeco-Roman Museum in Alexandria;Abdel Ghaffar Shedid, Lecturer, Institute for Egyptology of the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München in Munich;
ICOM wishes to thank all the institutions and people who so generously provided the photographs presented in the Emergency Red List for Egypt:
_Coptic Museum, Cairo_Gayer-Anderson (Beit el-Kritlaya) Museum, Cairo_Graeco-Roman Museum, Alexandria_Mummification Museum, Luxor_Nubian Museum, Aswan_Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum, Hildesheim_Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels_The Egyptian Museum, Cairo_The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore_Musée Royal de Mariemont, Morlanwelz_Museo Arqueologico Nacional, Madrid_Museu Nacional de Arquelogia, Lisbon_Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo
The Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects at Risk will be available in four languages. 10,000 printed copies are being distributed to police and customs officials from around the world, as well as heritage professionals, art and antiquities dealers, and other concerned bodies.
The Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects at Risk can be downloaded free of charge from ICOM’s website, and a complete on-line database dedicated to the Red Lists can also be accessed, at the following address: http://icom.museum/what-we-do/resources/red-lists-database.html
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«TheEmergencyRedListofEgyptianCulturalObjectsatRiskwillbe
availableinfourlanguages»
«10,000printedcopiesarebeingdistributedaround
theworld»
«TheEmergencyRedListofEgyptianCulturalObjectsatRiskcanbe
downloadedfreeofchargefromICOM’swebsite»
ICOM’s fight against illicit traffic
The fight againstillicit traffic
Conventions and cooperation
The fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods is at the core of ICOM’s public service mission and considered as one of its greatest priority. ICOM’s actions in the field include the publication and dissemination of a wide range of practical effective tools.
Furthermore, ICOM has developed an important collaborative network of national and international experts and professionals, all dedicated to the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. This network supports and strengthens the global fight against smuggling and illicit trading of cultural objects in various countries.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ICOM wishes to underline that national authorities are the only bodies authorized to deliver permits for the export or import of cultural goods. Neither ICOM nor its international partners issue such certificates or permissions, though documents bearing the name and logo of ICOM are regularly intercepted by police and custom’s officials.
International conventions
As an advisor to UNESCO and UNIDROIT, ICOM took part in the development of two international conventions that play a crucial role in protecting cultural heritage against illicit traffic:
- 1970 UNESCO Convention ontheMeansofProhibitingandPreventingtheIllicitImport,ExportandTransferofOwnershipofCulturalProperty: Countries adopting the Convention commit to preventing the purchase of illegally exported cultural goods, prohibiting the import of those stolen from a museum or public institution and seizing and returning stolen or illicitly imported cultural goods upon official request by the country of origin.
- 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported CulturalObjects: Places the responsibility on buyers to ensure that the object they are acquiring has reached the market through legal means.
ICOM actively encourages the ratification of these two conventions as well as the enhancement and development of appropriate national legislation protecting a country’s cultural artefacts.
«Thefightagainstillicittrafficin
culturalgoodsisatthecoreofICOM’s
publicservicemission»
«ICOMactivelyencouragestheenhancement
anddevelopmentofappropriatelegislation
protectingculturalartefacts»
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National and international cooperation
ICOM is a member of the expert network of international organisations recognised by the United Nations in the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods; and is the only heritage body in that group. The five other members of this network are: UNESCO, UNIDROIT, INTERPOL, WCO (World Customs Organisation) and UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime).
ICOM also holds an advisory status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and works closely with several national law enforcement agencies such as:- FBI Art Theft Program and the Department of Homeland Security, United States- Arma dei Carabinieri, Italy- Federal Office of Police (FedPol), Switzerland- Central Office for the fight against traffic in cultural goods (OCBC), France- Scotland Yard Metropolitan Police - Art and Antiquities Unit, United Kingdom- Direction of the Fight against crime against goods (DJB) of the Federal Police, Belgium
In 2000, ICOM and the WCO signed an Official Cooperation Agreement with INTERPOL.
The work of ICOM in the fight against illicit traffic benefits from the US Department of State and the Swiss Federal Office for Culture’s strong support, namely through its Red List programme.
Reinforcing their commitment towards the protection of cultural heritage, ICOM and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently signed a memorandum of understanding and established the Art and Cultural Heritage Mediation programme. The programme proposes professional mediation procedures for the settlement of cultural property disputes.
«ICOMisamemberoftheexpertnetworkofinternationalorganisations
recognisedbytheUnitedNationsinthefightagainstillicittrafficin
culturalgoods»
«ICOMworkscloselywith
severalnationallawenforcement
agencies»
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ICOM’s tools in the fight against illicit trafficOne Hundred Missing Objects
The One Hundred Missing Objects series presents cultural goods that have been stolen and whose disappearance has been reported to the police. All of the artefacts included in the publication are registered in the INTERPOL database.
The series include the following publications:- LootinginAngkor(1993, 2nd edition in 1997)- LootinginAfrica (1994, 2nd edition in 1997)- LootinginLatinAmerica (1997)-LootinginEurope (2001)
The One Hundred Missing Objects have been successful at recovering stolen objects and can be directly credited for the return of over fifty objects.
The Object ID Standard
The international standard for Object Identification (Object ID), launched in 1997 by the Getty Foundation, is an efficient tool used to clearly describe and inventory archaeological, artistic and cultural objects in order to facilitate their identification in case of theft. ICOM has held the world-wide licence to translate, distribute and promote the use of this norm among museum professionals and other concerned parties since 2004.
This international norm is intended to standardise the recording of an object’s data. Most importantly, the standard is compatible with the norms of INTERPOL’s database, making it easier and quicker to disseminate the information to the world should an object be reported missing.
ICOM proposes capacity building activities for museum and heritage professionals, government representatives, as well as police and customs agents, on the use of the Object ID Standard and its function in the protection of collections.
«TheOneHundredMissingObjectshave
beensuccessfulatrecoveringstolen
objects»
«TheObjectIDStandardisan
efficienttoolusedtoclearlydescribeandinventoryarchaeological,
artisticandculturalobjectsinordertofacilitatetheiridentificationincaseoftheft»
The Red Lists
ICOM’s Red Lists are recognised effective and practical tools that help heritage professionals, art and antiquities dealers, and most importantly, police and custom officials identify objects protected by national legislation that may have been smuggled or illicitly traded.
The number of published Red Lists has greatly increased in the past two years, reflecting ICOM’s commitment towards preventing illicit traffic in cultural goods. ICOM has received requests for the drafting of Red Lists from several countries and regions and is currently preparing several new publications.
The Emergency Red List of Egyptian Cultural Objects at Risk is ICOM’s eleventh Red List in total, and its third Emergency Red List. Previous Red List publications are as follows: - RedListofAfricanArchaeologicalObjects, 2000- RedListofLatin-AmericanCulturalObjectsatRisk, 2003- EmergencyRedListofIraqiAntiquitiesatRisk, 2003- RedListofAfghanistanAntiquitiesatRisk, 2006- RedListofPeruvianAntiquitiesatRisk, 2007- RedListofCambodianAntiquitiesatRisk, 2009- RedListofEndangeredCulturalObjectsofCentralAmericaandMexico, 2009- EmergencyRedListofHaitianCulturalObjectsatRisk, 2010- RedListofChineseCulturalObjectsatRisk, 2010- RedListofColombianCulturalObjectsatRisk, 2010
ICOM is at the moment drafting the RedListofDominicanCulturalObjectsatRisk and the RedListofWestAfricanCulturalObjectsatRisk.
Red Lists success stories ICOM’s Red Lists have been credited for numerous successful operations by police and customs officials in identifying and seizing cultural goods, the following are but a few chosen examples:
The National Museum of Afghanistan recognises that the Red List ofAfghanistanAntiquities at Risk allowed for the return of 8,000 objects from all over the world in the past four years. Specifically, between 2007 and 2009, and thanks to the Red List, English customs officials at Heathrow Airport were able to intercept, confiscate and return 3.4 tons of stolen objects, representing over 1,500 items.
In 2008, thanks to the EmergencyRedListof IraqiAntiquitiesatRisk, a cuneiform tablet was identified on the Swiss eBay website. The Swiss authorities were informed and e-Bay was able to stop the auction just before the sale was concluded.
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«ThenumberofpublishedRedListshasgreatlyincreasedinthepasttwoyears,reflectingICOM’scommitment
towardspreventingillicittrafficin
culturalgoods»
«ICOM’sRedListshavebeencredited
fornumeroussuccessful
operationsbypoliceandcustoms
officials»
On March 2006, the RedListofAfricanArchaeologicalObjects allowed for the return of over 6,000 artefacts stolen from archaeological sites in Niger and seized by French customs’ officials in 2004 and 2005.
Also in 2006, French customs’ officials seized crates from Togo containing Nigerian artefacts. One of them was revealed to be a genuine Nok statuette.
On January of that same year, an Iraqi foundation nail was identified during an auction in Paris, thanks to the EmergencyRedListofIraqiAntiquitiesatRisk. An investigation was launched by the police department of Paris after the Iraqi permanent delegation at UNESCO made a formal request.
Art and Cultural Heritage Mediation programme
The current increase in ownership disputes and restitution claims requires finding solutions other than litigation. ICOM’s dedication to the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods has led it to act in the process of return of cultural assets, becoming highly involved in promoting the restitution of illicitly acquired cultural property. ICOM had demonstrated its skills in this issue with the successful donation of the Makondé Mask to Tanzania by the Barbier-Mueller Museum on May 2010.
The Art and Cultural Heritage Mediation programme was launched as the result of cooperation between ICOM and WIPO. This fruitful collaboration resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and official launch of the Mediation programme in May 2011.
Mediation is a voluntary procedure designed to satisfy the long felt need for a specialized alternative dispute resolution. The ICOM-WIPO Mediation procedure is open to all, including non-ICOM members. Those who request mediation from the ICOM-WIPO Mediation rules benefit from the special joint List of Mediators selected for their skills and their mediation expertise in the art and cultural heritage field.
Mediation has several distinctive characteristics and advantages, and is able to overcome the statute of limitations. It takes into account customary laws for claims such as misuse of traditional cultural expressions.
Mediation under the ICOM-WIPO Mediation rules is a guarantee of respect for impartiality and independence and of the high ethical standards embodied in the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums. The programme responds to the needs of the world museum community and complements ICOM’s actions in the area of illicit traffic, offering an accessible solution.
«TheICOM-WIPOMediationprocedureisopentoall,including
non-ICOMmembers»
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The International Council of MuseumsThe International Council of Museums (ICOM) is the main international organisation of museums and museum professionals committed to promoting and protecting the world’s natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.
With almost 30,000 members in 137 countries, ICOM is an international professional organisation active in a wide range of museological and heritage-related disciplines. Through its numerous concrete programmes, ICOM is among the few global organisations that are able to quickly and efficiently mobilise experts in cultural heritage worldwide.
Created in 1946, ICOM maintains formal relations with UNESCO and has a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. ICOM maintains at the core of its public service missions the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods and emergency preparedness and response for museums in case of natural or human-made disasters.
With its Code of Ethics, ICOM has created a reference tool that sets standards of excellence to which all institutions in the organisation must adhere to. The ICOMCodeofEthics forMuseums, translated into 36 languages, establishes values and principles shared by ICOM and the international museum community. These standards evolve in accordance with the changing world in which museums exist.
Supporting the fight against illicit traffic in cultural goods is among ICOM’s highest priorities. The Red Lists have been designed to raise awareness on the smuggling and illicit trade of cultural objects from certain countries or regions of the world, thus aiding in protecting these countries’ cultural and historical heritage.
«ICOMiscommittedtopromotingandprotectingthe
world’snaturalandculturalheritage,presentandfuture,
tangibleandintangible»
For any matter regarding ICOM or for an interview with M. Julien Anfruns, Director General of ICOM, please contact:Aurélie AUBOURG: [email protected] / Tel: +33 (0)1 47 34 91 63
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