Conference: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Looting and the Challenges for Heritage Preservation
This conference addresses the issue of looting and illicit trafficking of cultural assets. The removal of artefacts and the illicit trade in antiquities have a detrimental effect on the historical knowledge and collective memory of the affected communities. In times of violent conflict, the looting of cultural property extends beyond artefacts to include agricultural plant genetic resources, such as seeds, germplasm and herbaria, which are crucial to biocultural heritage. Therefore, looting can lead to the loss of tangible, intangible, and natural heritage.
Despite international frameworks such as the 1970 UNESCO Convention and UN Sustainable Development Goal 11.4, which call for strengthened efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage, enforcement remains challenging due to high market values, weak regulations and limited international cooperation.
The Working Group 'Common Heritage and Common Challenges' is addressing this important and multifaceted issue by organising an interdisciplinary conference in Alexandria, Egypt. The conference will present different perspectives on the topic from an Arab-German viewpoint. The participants will explore comprehensive solutions, including strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms, developing community-based protection strategies that provide economic alternatives to looting, and implementing advanced technological tools for artefact tracking and digital preservation. It will also explore ways to foster sustainable international cooperation between German and Arab institutions.
Keynote Lecture I
5 December 2025, 5:30 pm
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Heritage Preservation
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Abdellatif, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Mansoura University, Egypt
Keynote Lecture II
6 December 2025, 4:15 pm
The Egyptian Strategy to Combat Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property
Dr. Shaaban Abdelgawad, Head of the Repatriation of Antiquities Department, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt
The conference is open to the public. The full program will be shared in due course.
Date: 05 December - 08 December 2025
Venue:
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Alexandria
Egypt
Language: English