FAQS NAVIGATOR
Our Guide to Common Queries
Welcome to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) massive open online course (MOOC) on preventing illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Comprising six modules, the MOOC had been adapted from the UNESCO Specialized Capacity Building Curricula on Fighting against the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property, as well as from the learning materials jointly developed by the EU and UNESCO “Fighting the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property. A Toolkit for European Judiciary and Law Enforcement”. Its purpose is to share content – including tools for awareness raising campaigns – for a wide variety of stakeholders, from cultural heritage professionals to the judiciary and law-enforcement.
Cultural heritage is more than art or archaeology – it is the story of who we are. When cultural property is stolen, looted, or trafficked, entire communities are robbed of their identity, history, and future. These crimes may not always make headlines, but they are often connected to larger criminal networks that also engage in terrorism, drug trafficking, and human exploitation.
The illicit trafficking of cultural property often begins with theft or illegal excavations. These crimes not only damage the objects themselves but also erase the scientific, historical, and emotional knowledge they carry.
The protection of cultural property is not only about preserving beautiful objects – it is about protecting the knowledge, values, and creativity of past civilizations that continue to shape our present. These objects are evidence of human achievement and resilience. They inspire learning, support scientific discovery, and connect us across cultures and generations. Safeguarding them is an act of solidarity, justice, and peace.
Illicit trafficking of cultural property is rarely a simple act of theft. It is often part of a wider web of organized crime. Smuggling routes, fake documents, and corrupt dealers allow stolen objects to be laundered into the legal market. In some cases, the profits are used to fund violent extremism or other serious crimes. Understanding these networks is crucial to disrupting them.
From ancient statues unearthed in illicit excavations to artifacts smuggled across borders, each object lost is a piece of truth erased – along with the scientific, historical, and emotional connections it carries.
This course, developed by UNESCO, provides you with information on:
- the international legal framework for addressing cultural property crimes,
- criminal behavior targeting archaeological sites and museums, particularly in conflict or post-conflict settings with fragile security, an
- practical tools, supported by real-life cases, to safeguard cultural heritage effectively.
Whether you are a police officer working to stop organized crime, a state attorney, a prosecutor, a judge, or a museum or heritage professional safeguarding the past, or a member of civil society, the protection of cultural property concerns you.
Join us and become part of a growing global effort to protect cultural heritage – for justice, for knowledge, and for the generations to come.
Registration on the platform is simple. Follow these steps:
- Create an account on our learning platform.
- Wait for confirmation in your email indicating that your account has been created. If you do not receive this, please check your spam folder.
- Log in to the platform, then click the button “Register for a course”, and select the course.
- Once you enroll in the course, take each module in chronological order for a better understanding of the course material.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Understand key international frameworks relating to cultural heritage protection (conventions, regulations, legal instruments);
- Identify the main strategies and techniques used to reinforce the protection of cultural heritage and cultural diversity;
- Better understand how combatting illicit trafficking of cultural property helps prevent money laundering and organised crime;
- Explore how new technologies can be leveraged to combat the illicit trade of cultural property, including on the Internet;
- Understand the necessity and dynamics of inter-agency and cross-border cooperation;
- Become familiar with the tools and campaigns to foster public awareness and promote the protection of movable cultural property.
Module 1: Foundations – Understanding the Problem and the Legal Landscape
- Grasp foundational concepts, definitions, and the broader implications of illicit trafficking of cultural property, emphasizing human rights and global ethical responsibilities.
- Clearly identify and differentiate between key international legal instruments, standards, and frameworks that guide cultural heritage protection.
- Recognize international institutions and their precise roles in combating illicit trafficking, fostering deeper engagement with global efforts.
Module 2: Legal Instruments and Tools
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of pivotal international legal instruments such as UNESCO 1970, UNIDROIT 1995 and other normative instruments.
- Effectively navigate legal processes and strategies for restitution and return, including documentation, reporting mechanisms, and negotiation practices.
- Critically evaluate restitution cases through comparative analysis of civil and common law approaches, equipping participants with practical strategies to tackle legal disputes.
Module 3: Prevention Strategies and Technology Tools
- Identify, understand, and implement institutional frameworks and international standards crucial to preventing illicit trafficking.
- Efficiently utilize technological solutions such as UNESCO NATLAWS database, ID-Art, ARCHEO platform, ICOM Red Lists, and advanced documentation systems to secure provenance and authenticity.
- Develop skills to design and execute effective awareness-raising campaigns and preventive measures within their respective institutions.
Module 4: Criminal Dimension and Organized Crime
- Clearly articulate how cultural property trafficking intersects with organized crime, money laundering, and terrorism financing, recognizing their broader implications for security and justice.
- Master specialized investigative techniques including online monitoring, forensic provenance analysis, and financial tracing relevant to the prosecution of cultural property crimes.
- Apply practical insights from case studies and international law enforcement experiences to strengthen prosecutorial strategies.
Module 5: Cooperation, National Initiatives, and Capacity Building
- Integrate essential elements of national legislation and EU regulatory frameworks effectively into national strategies and policy-making processes.
- Implement and sustain robust inter-agency and cross-border cooperation mechanisms, optimizing roles and responsibilities across relevant national units.
- Design strategic capacity-building and training initiatives to enhance professional effectiveness and institutional resilience against cultural property crimes.
Special Module: South-East Europe
- Gain deep insights into regional-specific challenges, legal frameworks, and operational strategies from real-world examples and practices in South-East Europe.
- Strengthen national approaches and regional coordination in prosecuting crimes and securing cultural heritage, leveraging experiences from INTERPOL, customs, and police authorities.
- Develop practical strategies for community engagement and the use of new technologies and projects to bolster heritage protection efforts regionally.
- Advance sustainable cooperation between stakeholders, aligning local and regional efforts to effectively address illicit trafficking in cultural property.
The course is composed of 5 obligatory and 1 optional module. The whole course can be completed in 10 weeks.
At the end of each module, participants will complete a summative assessment which will enable progression to the next module and ultimately lead to course completion.
Classes start: 1 September 2025
Classes end: 31 December 2030
Estimated effort: 10 weeks
A free certificate of attendance is provided for this course for those who meet all the course requirements.
To be eligible for a certificate of attendance, a participant must watch all video lessons and pass the quizzes at the end of each module with a minimum score of 70% in order to progress to the next module.
There is no need to submit a request for a certificate of attendance. At the end of the course, we will verify that you meet the criteria required. After verifying that a participant has met the course requirements, we will send a confirmation message to your email indicating their eligibility for the certificate. You will receive instructions via the course platform messaging system to download a PDF copy of your certificate. The certificate is only available in PDF format.
The course has been developed by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe and its Antenna in Sarajevo in close collaboration with the Culture and Emergencies Entity in the Culture Sector of UNESCO.
The methodology has been designed by Zeynep Boz, UNESCO expert on preventing illicit trafficking in cultural property and the author of the UNESCO Toolkit: “Fighting the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property. A Toolkit for European Judiciary and Law Enforcement”.
Lecturers include experts from the UNESCO Secretariat, UNESCO partner organizations and affiliates such as UNESCO Chairs and academia, as well as representatives of governmental institutions from UNESCO Member States.
Its development has been possible thanks to the generous support of the European Union.
