Safeguarding our cultural heritage

A EUNIC Washington D.C. conference on addressing the protection of cultural heritage in a global world.

Safeguarding Our Cultural Heritage: the Challenges of International Cooperation in a Global World will bring together the expertise of multilateral organizations, in addition to both American and European institutions, to discuss the current challenges faced in protecting our shared cultural heritage.

How do law enforcement agencies respond to this duty? What is the role of non-governmental organizations in safeguarding cultural heritage? How do countries deal with these issues, both individually and collectively? Our panelists aim to address the answers to these questions and more.

Moderator

Professor Mark V. Vlasic is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University. Given his extensive background in international law and justice, he has served as soldier, lawyer, prosecutor, and diplomat, working for such institutions as the White House, the Pentagon, the World Bank, the UN, and a large international law firm, among others. He was the Head of Operations of the World Bank’s Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative, helped advise the Director-General of UNESCO, and serves as an advisor to the Center on Sanctions & Illicit Finance.‎

Panelists

Julian Ávila, Counselor for the Ministry of the Interior at the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C. and Commissioner of the Policia Nacional. He has over 30 years of experience with the Spanish National Police, also serving as Deputy Chief of the Central Border Unit.

Tess Davis, Executive Director of the Antiquities Coalition and Affiliate Researcher in the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research at the University of Glasgow. A lawyer and archaeologist by training, she works with both the art world and law enforcement to keep looted antiquities off the market.

Guido Licciardi, Senior Urban Development Specialist from the World Bank. He works on urban development, municipal service delivery, urban planning, disaster risk management, urban regeneration, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism for the World Bank.

Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, Program Manager of the Art Theft Program at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. She manages the National Stolen Art File and provides support for the Art Crime Team, fourteen special agents investigating cultural property cases in the U.S. and abroad.

Commander Alberto Rodao Martín, Major of the Spanish Guardia Civil and Head of the Property Crime Analysis Group within the Central Criminal Intelligence Unit of the Guardia Civil. He regularly participates in specialized conferences and forums and international working groups at a strategic level, including Interpol and Europol.

Raymond Villanueva, Deputy Assistant Director of the Office of International Operations, Homeland Security Investigations. He has extensive experience working with the international community, managing the trade based money laundering programs and mission within HSI and expanding operational efforts to the Eastern Hemisphere. He has more than 21 years of law enforcement experience.