Drugs Crime and Terrorism
The Netherlands: Museums confront the country’s colonial past
The pioneering Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen (The National Museum of World Cultures) in the Netherlands was one of the first museums in Europe to develop mechanisms for repatriating artefacts looted from former colonies.
The art market: A victim of its own success
The very lucrative black market in works of art and antiques has flourished thanks to the keen interest of buyers shortcomings in legislation the complicity of those in the sector an increase in looting in countries in conflict situations and the development of online sales platforms.
“We must punish the looters, but also the buyers”
The trafficking in antiquities from war zones in the Middle East has grown steadily over the past two decades. While there is international consensus on condemning this illicit trade it remains difficult to combat it in practice. One way to stop it is to increase sanctions on buyers says Amr Al-Azm an archaeologist and professor of Middle East history and anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio United States.
Zoom: When jazz fever gripped the townships
Jürgen Schadeberg (1931-2020) the photographer who chronicled apartheid also documented the evolution of South African jazz for almost sixty years.
Mapping the world: Beirut: Rebuilding the future through education and culture
Already reeling from the economic crisis and the global pandemic Beirut was rocked by two deadly explosions on 4 August 2020. The blasts claimed nearly 200 lives left thousands wounded and ravaged a large area at the heart of the Lebanese capital.
Greece: The itinerary of a stolen stele
This is the story of a Greek funerary stele from the fourth century BC put up for sale by an international auction house in 2017. The piece was not withdrawn from the auction catalogue even after the warnings of an expert regarding its dubious provenance backed by solid evidence. It would take over a year and numerous initiatives before the stele was finally returned to the Greek authorities.
Ideas: Racism: Confronting the unthinkable
The police brutality that came into focus in the United States in spring 2020 sparked a wave of protests that extended far beyond the countrys borders. Racism whether systemic or ordinary remains deeply rooted in the minds and workings of contemporary societies the author argues.
Our guests: “We must educate algorithms”
Sexist algorithms? The question may seem odd. Coded by humans the algorithms used by artificial intelligence are not free of stereotypes. But while they can induce sexist or racist biases they can also be used to advance the cause of gender equality. This is what Aude Bernheim and Flora Vincent demonstrate in their book LIntelligence artificielle pas sans elles! (Artificial intelligence not without women!).
Social networks: The new El Dorado for traffickers
Auction sites and social networks have in the last few years become hubs for the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. Though Facebook recently banned the trade in antiquities on its platform much remains to be done to curb this relatively recent marketplace which offers traffickers a global showcase.
COVID-19 pandemic and gender aspects
The year 2020 marks two important landmarks in gender equality achievement: the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action and the 20th year of implementing Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security. Unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic caused cancellation and postponement of many important international meetings including a shortened version of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women but it is also risking to heavily jeopardize the progress made over recent years.
Cyber-crime during the COVID-19 pandemic
The pandemic of COVID-19 and the imposed lockdown has led to more people to be confined at home with many more hours to spend online each day and increasingly relying on the Internet to access services they normally obtain offline.
How organized crime is expanding during the COVID-19 crisis
Over the last century organized crime has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to rapidly adapt to mutated social political and economic conditions. While in some cases this adaptation was the result of a reactive response to improved legislation targeting their interests in many others it was ignited by the pursuit of new possibilities for economic profit. Examples in this sense include how quickly criminal groups adapted to new scenarios created for instance by geopolitical changes the integration of global markets or the generalized use of the world wide web as a marketplace for a variety of licit and illicit goods and services.
The principles of equality and non-discrimination under viral attack: Stigma, hate speech, xenophobia, racism and discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic
The principle of equality – the belief that all human beings are born free and equal – along with the correlated prohibition on discrimination are foundations of society. Equality is one of the most basic aspects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a pillar on which the United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945. Yet following the emergence of the coronavirus in December 2019 this long-established fundamental human right is being increasingly threatened. Indeed as the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes observed “COVID-19 is not just a health issue; it can also be a virus that exacerbates xenophobia hate and exclusion.”
Nos invitées: « Il faut éduquer les algorithmes »
Sexistes les algorithmes ? La question peut paraître incongrue. Codés par des humains les algorithmes utilisés par lintelligence artificielle néchappent pourtant pas aux stéréotypes. Mais sils peuvent induire des biais sexistes ou racistes ils peuvent aussi servir à faire avancer la cause de légalité. Cest ce que montrent Aude Bernheim et Flora Vincent dans un ouvrage intitulé LIntelligence artificielle pas sans elles !
Le marché de l’art victime de son succès
Très lucratif le marché noir dobjets dart et dantiquité a prospéré notamment grâce à lengouement des acheteurs aux carences des législations à la complicité dacteurs du secteur à la multiplication des pillages dans les pays en situation de conflit et au développement des plateformes de vente en ligne.
Community resilience: Insights from UNICRI experience in the Sahel-Maghreb
In physics “resilience” is a measure of how well a material such as rubber or metal responds to pressure by bending adapting and changing without breaking. However this concept is more than a scientific term. Resiliency can also describe a community’s ability to bounce back from pressures including natural disasters economic downturns and - in the case of UNICRI’s Pilot Project on Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism in the Sahel-Maghreb - violence and terrorism. In the Sahel and Maghreb the pressure on communities is certainly intense and ever-growing. Conflicts in Libya and Mali threaten to spill over porous borders while drought and desertification have increased food insecurity and heightened intercommunal tensions. Increasingly active extremist militant groups have brought violence and chased out tourists which once had been an importance source of income. Now more than ever an approach aimed at building the resilience at a community level is needed - one that can empower communities to respond to these pressures by adapting and changing without “breaking” and entering into conflict.
No one is left behind in the fight of the EU against violent extremism
31st January 2019 at the European Parliament in Brussels several officials experts researchers and journalists concerned with finding solutions to the rise of violent extremism in the Maghreb and Sahel region gathered to share insights on a 5 million euros European Union (EU) funded programme implemented by UNICRI.
Youth: The phenomenon of returning foreign terrorist fighters and its challenges
The phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) is a matter of great concern for the international community. Newspapers and media are full of stories pertaining to the radicalization of young people who left their country of origin to engage in violent extremism in other countries.
The resiliency of the UN staff member’s oath of office
This is not the first time that I have been asked how we can succeed in advancing the values of the United Nations in the most critical situations. It is a good question. Even those who have served in peace missions for over thirty years cannot provide a single answer to this question.