UNESCO Chair on Business Integrity and Crime Prevention in Art and Antiquities Market
Chair Holder: Stefano Manacorda – Full Professor of Criminal Law.
The UNESCO Chair on Business Integrity and Crime Prevention in Art and Antiquities Market, established in 2022 at Department of Law of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, aims at promoting good business practices, fostering public-private partnerships and raising public awareness through research and training activities in order to help public and private actors counter the illicit trafficking in cultural heritage.
The protection of cultural heritage represents a specific goal of the UN Agenda 2030. In pursuit of this goal, the main aim of the UNESCO Chair is to adopt an innovative approach focussed on crime prevention and enabling private actors to adopt compliance programs and best practices aimed at preventing and combating illicit behaviour in the art and antiquities market.
Objectives
- Enhance knowledge and public awareness on the protection of cultural heritage and particularly on the prevention and fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property.
- Elaborate with UNESCO a Toolkit for the actors of the art market containing, amongst others, existing legal frameworks, codes of ethics, due diligence procedures, case studies and best practices aimed at strengthening the integrity of the art and antiquities market and the prevention of illicit trafficking.
- Consolidate expertise, deepening knowledge on critical points under a legal perspective, and disseminate research results through the “Handbook on Crime Prevention in Art and Antiquities Market” publication addressed to academics, students, practitioners, NGOs.
- Develop research and training activities in this area, by implementing dedicated PhD and Research fellow positions and an undergraduate course, teaching for PhD students, seminars and workshops.
- Cooperate closely with UNESCO and other UNESCO Chairs on relevant programmes and activities.
Structure
- The UNESCO Chair relies on a dedicated team of researchers and an international network of high qualified experts.
- The UNESCO Chair will benefit from the expertise of a wide range of public institutions (universities and research centres, ministries, enforcement agencies) and private entities (auction houses, banks, museums, insurances, foundations, associations and NGOs), operating at the national and supranational level.
