The European Union Advisory Mission in support of security sector reform in Iraq has conducted its second workshop on cultural heritage protection after the success of its first such workshop in June last year. The workshop ran for three days of which one of them was at the Iraqi Museum, where the Assyrian Gallery had kindly been made available by the Iraqi authorities.

The workshop aimed to further explore ways of cooperation between different national and international agencies and to strengthen collective efforts to preserve Iraq’s cultural heritage by preventing and investigating heritage crimes. This was done through presentations as well as practical group discussions focusing on protecting, retrieving heritage as well as the challenges facing these efforts. It was clear from the discussions that progress is underway, including in the physical protection of Iraq’s attractions and excavation sites, and that further improvement of registration of cultural property, information exchange and coordination of investigations all help pave the way for Iraq to utilise the economic and societal potentials of its cultural heritage.

Several European experts supported the workshop, which was attended by Iraqi senior officials from the law enforcement departments of the Ministry of Interior, such as the borders authorities, organised crime and counter-terrorism units, as well as experts from the Ministry of Culture. The participants praised the workshop for its content, organisation and providing opportunities for sharing expertise and networking with de facto colleagues from different Iraqi institutions and abroad.