Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mehdi Bensaid, emphasized that the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, places paramount importance on protecting cultural heritage and combating the illicit trade of cultural properties, describing these practices as “organized crimes that affect the identity of peoples and their collective memory.”
Speaking at an international seminar on the role of customs in fighting the illicit trade of cultural property, Bensaid stated that these crimes have evolved beyond mere theft; they now represent an organized criminal activity that feeds off conflicts, exploits legal and technological loopholes, and serves as a source of financing for terrorism and cross-border crime.
He stressed that cultural properties are not merely artifacts or works of art but represent the shared memory of humanity and embody human creativity throughout the ages, considering targeting them as a destructive act that hinders sustainable development.
In this context, Bensaid noted that Morocco has adopted a comprehensive strategy to address this phenomenon, including updating the legislative framework in line with the 1970 UNESCO Convention and launching a new law to protect cultural heritage that includes advanced provisions to reduce illegal practices.
He added that the Kingdom has also digitized and cataloged its cultural assets to strengthen protection and monitoring, along with enhancing security and judicial capacities for investigation and prosecution in close cooperation with international partners, recalling successful retrieval operations of stolen properties from abroad, particularly from the United States and Chile.
The minister expressed his belief in the importance of raising awareness, urging civil society to engage in confronting this phenomenon, rather than leaving it solely to professionals and specialists.
Bensaid asserted that protecting heritage is a responsibility that transcends national borders, given the transnational nature of these crimes, making international coordination essential. He regarded the international meeting as a valuable opportunity to share experiences and enhance practical cooperation, suggesting several possible measures in this regard, including:
– Tightening the noose around black markets and auctions exploited to smuggle stolen properties
– Supporting countries affected by conflicts in protecting their heritage and recovering what has been plundered
– Using modern technology, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, to document and trace the origins of properties
– Incorporating culture and heritage into educational curricula to instill awareness in new generations about the importance of protecting collective memory
The minister concluded his speech by reiterating that peoples who lose their memory lose their compass, calling for a unified international effort to ensure the passing of cultural treasures to future generations and to preserve the shared legacy that attests to the greatness of the past and inspires the future.
