“Blue Helmets for Culture, Cultural Heritage in the Event of Disasters:

Risks and Security Interventions”

 

Part of the objectives of the Regional Institute of World Heritage in Zacatecas (IRPMZ) is to promote capacity building, regional cooperation, and the dissemination of knowledge for the improved implementation of the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

In this regard, and as part of international collaboration strategies, the IRPMZ, a Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO, has joined the initiative of the Organizzazione Internazionale Italo-Latino Americana (OIILA), the Italian Ministry of Culture (MIC), the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Italian Cultural Heritage (CCTPC), and the Fondazione per la Scuola (FONDAZ SCUOLA), in conjunction with the Mexican Ministry of Culture through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), to conduct the course “Blue Helmets for Culture, Cultural Heritage in Cases of Disasters: Risks and Security Interventions.”

The objective of this course is to offer participants best practice experiences, as well as training for appropriate action in emergency scenarios related to cultural heritage, such as natural disasters, trafficking of cultural property, and other related human-caused risks. This will be based on an analysis of different local contexts.

 

 

The course is aimed at police officers, members of the armed forces, specialized units combating the illicit trafficking of works of art, restorers, art historians, architects, employees of Ministries and Secretariats of Culture, as well as civil protection and fire department officials, among other stakeholders involved in the protection of cultural heritage.

The topics covered will be: Comprehensive Risk Management Systems; Legislation in Cases of Cultural Heritage Emergencies; Procedures for the Recovery, Intervention, Security, and Transportation of Cultural Heritage (Movable, Archaeological, and Archival); Large-Scale Role of Official Elements (Firefighters); Creation and Organization of Specialized Units Against Illicit Trafficking; Use of Innovative Technologies (Laser Scanner, Ground Penetrating Radar, 3D Modeling, among others); Development of Risk Maps and Information Systems; Identification and Management of Conditions for the Temporary Storage of Movable Goods; Emergency Cataloging of Cultural Heritage Elements; Organization and Functions of the Carabinieri Command. Creation of a Database and Composition and Functions of Institutions such as the Blue Helmets of Culture.

In addition, practical exercises will be conducted during the workshops on the removal and recovery of cultural property (packing, transport, escort, storage, and cataloging) through a simulated temporary assessment of a cultural space (church or museum) following a potential event such as an earthquake.

The course will be held in person in Mexico City, with both theoretical and practical sessions, from June 5 to 16, 2023. Four representatives from each of the seven participating Latin American and Caribbean countries (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Mexico) will be in attendance.