National Campaign Against Illicit Trafficking
The identity of nations has been seriously threatened by the continuous and progressive loss of their cultural heritage. The assets that make up this heritage have become the target of criminal enterprises that enrich international networks of illegal trade. Theft, looting, illegal commerce, clandestine excavations, and forgery, among other crimes, fuel illicit trafficking, as do the socioeconomic and cultural changes brought about by globalization. All these factors represent a constant threat to the preservation of cultural property.
The growing and progressive increase in these criminal acts, compounded by vandalism, continues to cause irreparable harm to Colombian communities—not only because it impoverishes their heritage, but also because it deprives present and future generations of the knowledge of their history. Cultural, artistic, utilitarian, or documentary expressions—whether individual or collective, by recognized or anonymous authors, or part of popular productions—are the true testimony of the societies and cultures that have existed and continue to coexist within the national territory.
The illicit trafficking of cultural property is ranked as the fourth largest global problem, after the trafficking of drugs, weapons, and protected species, and is considered a multidimensional threat to national security. No country is exempt from this scourge.
Countries undertake efforts and actions to protect their heritage, both internally and through international cooperation. These actions involve the development of programs related to inventory and registration, training and dissemination; the creation of educational tools; the signing of multilateral, regional, and bilateral agreements; the strengthening of legal frameworks; and the establishment of procedures that facilitate the recovery and repatriation of movable cultural heritage.
The protection of cultural heritage is a shared responsibility between the State and society. Article 8 of the Political Constitution of Colombia establishes: “It is the duty of the State and of individuals to protect the Nation’s cultural and natural wealth.” In compliance with this mandate, the Ministry of Culture, through its various departments and affiliated entities—such as the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), the General Archive of the Nation, the National Museum, and the National Library—works to promote the knowledge, protection, conservation, restoration, and dissemination of cultural heritage. These actions are carried out through projects aimed at incorporating cultural heritage as a key factor in the country’s cultural development and at strengthening the efficient and sustainable management of the assets that make up this heritage.
The National Culture Plan 2001–2010 defined the policy areas in which strategies should be implemented. The field of creation and memory emphasizes the importance and necessity of recording and preserving heritage assets that represent the values, memories, struggles, and achievements of the people and that are potentially at risk of disappearing. As a strategy, it proposes the design of mechanisms to protect these memories from the direct or collateral effects of armed conflict and illicit trafficking.
In Colombia, prevention and control actions against this type of trafficking are promoted through the National Campaign Against the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property, which seeks to engage different sectors and stakeholders to create a united front for heritage protection. The progress made can be found in the Management Report.