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Culture Under Threat

UNGACultureThreat_carouselThroughout the Middle East and East Africa, the targeted destruction and organized plunder of ancient relics and sites have become weapons of war. Nowhere is the threat worse than under the Islamic State’s black flag — each day reaching farther beyond Iraq and Syria. Last September, Asia Society presented a special high-level forum on the fight against the destruction and looting of our common heritage, in partnership with the Antiquities Coalition and the Middle East Institute (MEI). The forum produced a special task force report — #CultureUnderThreat: Recommendations for the U.S. Government —which was published and presented earlier this year. Some of the report’s recommendations have since been signed into law by President Obama.

Join us once again, as Asia Society, the Antiquities Coalition, and MEI, is convening renowned leaders in the global fight against terrorist financing from cultural racketeering, to review the breakthroughs and setbacks of the past year, as well as how the global community can best move forward today. The discussion will examine one issue of particular importance: how governments can better work with the private sector — including both the art market and technology industry — to fight cultural crimes.

Speakers:

Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi is the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York. A career diplomat with over thirty years of experience both at home and abroad, he comes to New York after serving as Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rome. His previous post was at the Italian Embassy in Washington as Deputy Chief of Mission.

Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin has been president of the Middle East Institute since 2007. Previously, she served as deputy high commissioner for refugees at the United Nations from 2004 to 2007. She served as assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (2002-2004), where she oversaw civilian reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and development assistance programs throughout the Middle East and East Asia.

Brigadier General (Ret.) Russell Howard is a member of the Antiquities Coalition Advisory Council and senior fellow at the Joint Special Operations University in Tampa Florida. He was the founding director of The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and the founding director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

Deborah Lehr is chairman and founder of the Antiquities Coalition, senior fellow at the Paulson Institute, and CEO and founding partner of Basilinna, a strategic consulting firm focused on China and the Middle East. She launched the Antiquities Coalition to work with governments across the Middle East to fight against antiquities trafficking and its use in funding terrorism and organized crime.

Jon Williams (moderator) is managing editor for international news atABC News. Prior to his current role, he spent seven years as world editor at the BBC, where he managed a staff of 200 people in 30 different countries, shaping the organization’s news coverage and strategy.











When: Fri., Sep. 16, 2016 at 8:30 am
Where: Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Ave.
212-288-6400
Price: Members $20; Students/Seniors $25; Nonmembers $30
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UNGACultureThreat_carouselThroughout the Middle East and East Africa, the targeted destruction and organized plunder of ancient relics and sites have become weapons of war. Nowhere is the threat worse than under the Islamic State’s black flag — each day reaching farther beyond Iraq and Syria. Last September, Asia Society presented a special high-level forum on the fight against the destruction and looting of our common heritage, in partnership with the Antiquities Coalition and the Middle East Institute (MEI). The forum produced a special task force report — #CultureUnderThreat: Recommendations for the U.S. Government —which was published and presented earlier this year. Some of the report’s recommendations have since been signed into law by President Obama.

Join us once again, as Asia Society, the Antiquities Coalition, and MEI, is convening renowned leaders in the global fight against terrorist financing from cultural racketeering, to review the breakthroughs and setbacks of the past year, as well as how the global community can best move forward today. The discussion will examine one issue of particular importance: how governments can better work with the private sector — including both the art market and technology industry — to fight cultural crimes.

Speakers:

Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi is the Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York. A career diplomat with over thirty years of experience both at home and abroad, he comes to New York after serving as Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Rome. His previous post was at the Italian Embassy in Washington as Deputy Chief of Mission.

Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin has been president of the Middle East Institute since 2007. Previously, she served as deputy high commissioner for refugees at the United Nations from 2004 to 2007. She served as assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (2002-2004), where she oversaw civilian reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and development assistance programs throughout the Middle East and East Asia.

Brigadier General (Ret.) Russell Howard is a member of the Antiquities Coalition Advisory Council and senior fellow at the Joint Special Operations University in Tampa Florida. He was the founding director of The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and the founding director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

Deborah Lehr is chairman and founder of the Antiquities Coalition, senior fellow at the Paulson Institute, and CEO and founding partner of Basilinna, a strategic consulting firm focused on China and the Middle East. She launched the Antiquities Coalition to work with governments across the Middle East to fight against antiquities trafficking and its use in funding terrorism and organized crime.

Jon Williams (moderator) is managing editor for international news atABC News. Prior to his current role, he spent seven years as world editor at the BBC, where he managed a staff of 200 people in 30 different countries, shaping the organization’s news coverage and strategy.

Buy tickets/get more info now