Cultural Heritage Reference Group for Iraq

Final Report 

20 June 2003

	

Images from categories of objects from Iraq that may have been stolen from www.Interpol.int/Public /Work of Art/Iraq/objetsEnDanger/Default.asp

Preamble
Executive Summary
Key Recommendations:
1.	Background to formation of Group
2.	Cultural heritage in Iraq – current overview
3.	International responses
4.	Australian responses
5.	Recommendations: on the Terms of Reference
5.1		Advice on how the Austrlian Government could assist with emergency conservation measures

5.2.	Potential actions of Australian Defence Force troops 

5.3.	apropriate advice of Australian specialists:

5.4		 The potential for Australian specialists  to assist Iraq in the recovery of its cultural heritage artefacts.

5.5.	Cooperation with interim and international authorities.

5.6.	Training and capacity building for cultural heritage conservation and management in Iraq .

APPENDIX A: Cultural Heritage Reference Group – terms of reference and membership
APPENDIX B: Media release
APPENDIX C: Report from british Museum/unesco conference 29th April 2003
Appendix D: Groups consulted/responses received
APPENDIX E: art & property crime awareness course 
Appendix f: Australia ICOMOS proposal

Preamble 

This report has been produced by the Cultural Heritage Reference Group for Iraq. The Terms of Reference and membership of the Group are listed in Appendix A. The Reference Group included specialists with particular expertise in international heritage and the cultural heritage of Iraq and representatives of key Australian Government organisations.

Chaired by Mr Tom Harley, Chairman of the Australian Heritage Commission, the Group was asked to advise the Minister for the Environment and Heritage on possible ways in which Australia could assist the Iraqi people with the recovery and restoration of their cultural heritage. 

The international community has acknowledged the significance of Iraq in world history, with the area being regarded by many as ‘the cradle of civilisation’. Archaeological sites in Iraq have produced evidence of the first development of systems important to society today, including writing, metallurgy, weights and measures, codified law and financial transactions.  Architectural monuments, town planning, and extensive written records from every historical period exemplify the continuity of Iraq's central role in cross-cultural influences in our shared human history. 

A key recommendation of the Reference Group was that Australian responses should be coordinated with other initiatives including those of UNESCO, Interpol, the US and UK. To this end, from the production of the first draft of this report May 2003 to the completion of the Final Report in June 2003, Reference Group members participated in meetings to discuss Australia’s response to Iraq heritage institutions with Interpol, the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the British Museum, the British Library and the Cultural Property Unit of the US Department of State. 

In identifying ways in which Australia could assist the Iraqi people with the recovery and restoration of their cultural heritage, the Reference Group has not identified specific funding sources. The recommendations of the Group identify ways in which the Australian community could support the restoration of Iraq’s cultural heritage.  The Group recommends that any actions by specialists, professional organisations, universities, institutions, industry or Government be conducted in a coordinated manner in support of the recovery and restoration of Iraq’s cultural heritage. The Group would encourage private industry to link with Australian and Iraqi cultural heritage institutions in implementing both the short and long term recommendations. 

Executive Summary

The recommendations of the Cultural Heritage Reference Group identify short and long term actions. They have been developed against the Terms of Reference, and in discussions with key stakeholders. The information available on assistance required by Iraq’s cultural heritage institutions is being updated each week. The recommendations of the Reference Group against the Terms of Reference have been adapted to reflect the updated information received on the situation in Iraq during the preparation of the Report. 

The recommendations cover four key areas of assistance for the Iraqi people:
1.	Emergency conservation measures;
2.	Recovery and repatriation of cultural heritage;
3.	Assistance through national links to Australia and through international organisations with which Australia is involved;
4.	Training and capacity building.

Each of these benefits to Iraq has benefits to Australia:
1.	Facilitate and strengthen Australia’s ongoing economic, social and cultural interests in Iraq;
2.	Builds important professional links with a re-emerging class of Iraqi specialists which is likely to lead through Iraq's other links to wider ties in the region and in European and American institutions;
3.	Potential for Australian heritage specialists to increase their conservation experience in Australia's Middle Eastern archaeological activity, it will help maintain our standing in this area, increase skills and provide a range of training opportunities;
4.	Potential for opportunities for Australian organisations to provide additional products and services to Iraq including integrated databases and training of Police and Customs officers;
5.	Potential for Australia to take a role in Interpol’s response to training for recovery of Iraq cultural property;
6.	Offers later potential for fee for service training, eases University exchanges in future at all levels, establishes long lasting relationships;
7.	Enables Australians to show compassion through tangible support for the Iraqi people trying to protect and restore their cultural heritage which is also the heritage of all humankind as Iraq is regarded by many as the very ‘cradle of civilization’.

The recommendations are made with the acknowledgement that any actions should take account of Iraqi Antiquity legislation, and only be considered in cooperation with the appropriate Iraqi cultural heritage authorities, including the Department of Antiquities and Heritage. Any actions should be closely linked with the international recovery programs being coordinated by organisations including UNESCO and Interpol.

The recommendations are also made with the acknowledgement that, based on advice from Interpol and other agencies, the recovery of missing Iraqi artefacts is likely to take many years, and will require international cooperation to be successful. 

Key Recommendations:

Short term: 

1.	Support Interpol, US, UK and Iraqi authorities with investigation and tracing of Iraqi antiquities by:
•	Participating in the conduct of an investigation and intelligence mission with the task of assisting in the rehabilitation and restitution of Iraqi Cultural Property (ICP); 
•	Providing a specialized relational database to support investigations and a national inventory of ICP; and 
•	Providing capacity building specialist training to law enforcement agencies and cultural property professionals.

2.	Support the Coalition Provisional Authority and UNESCO to ensure the security of museums, libraries and archaeological sites in regional areas.

3.	Support participation of Australia experts at relevant international meetings such as Interpol, International Council of Museums, UNESCO and the British Museum.

4.	Letter to UNESCO advising on Australia’s broad strategic approach and recommending inclusion of archivist in fact finding missions.

5.	Provide advice as appropriate on relevant Iraqi law to the Coalition Provisional Authority. These laws will underpin much of the early stabilisation of the antiquities sector. As part of this assessment circulate Dr Prott’s comments on Iraqi Antiquities legislation to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Attorney-General’s Department for comment and transmission to the Coalition Provisional Authority.

6.	Letter from the Minister for the Environment and Heritage to art and antiquities dealers in Australia, reminding them of their obligations under legislation regarding possible looted artefacts – and that Australia may be used to ‘launder’ these artefacts.

7.	Letter from the Minister for the Environment and Heritage to Pacific region countries outlining risks of countries being used to launder Iraqi artefacts, and offering advice/support.

Long term 

8.	All these recommendations have been developed in the context that Australian responses should be coordinated with other initiatives including those of UNESCO, Interpol, the US and UK. 

9.	Link with Austrade, international and Australian institutions to develop a ‘clearing house’ for Australian cultural institutions, professional organisations and universities to monitor opportunities and funding for programs in Iraq.

10.	As soon as the International Council of Museums emergency  ‘Red List’ of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk is completed, circulate details to all dealers in Australia and the Pacific region; and facilitate ready access by making it available on Environment Australia, Australian Customs and the Australia Federal Police web sites.

11.	Link with Australian and international delegations to develop an integrated information base, including all key stakeholders, on the current situation in Iraq including contacts and opportunities.

12.	Support the Iraq museums and libraries with the development of databases where possible.

13.	Facilitate where it is sought the conduct of specialist training for Iraqi cultural property professionals including museum, library management, and curatorial staff in both Baghdad and regional areas.

14.	Link with international organisations to support a condition assessment of sites and institutions to assess what damage has been done and what conservation works and interpretation can be done to restore them.

15.	Facilitate a speedy response to any Iraqi requests for cultural exchanges between Australia and Iraq, including cultural heritage professionals, as outlined in attached Australia ICOMOS proposal. 

16.	Encourage Australian cultural institutions to organise a travelling exhibition of Iraqi antiquities (possibly from Australian collections) 

•	to raise funds for the Iraqi Department of Antiquities;
•	to increase awareness and support for the Middle Eastern and Islamic community. 

17.	 Link with relevant Government departments, agencies and industry to encourage the commercial sponsorship by Australian companies of cultural activities in Iraq.

1.	Background to formation of Group

In April 2003 the Minister for the Environment and Heritage Dr David Kemp, MP, established a Cultural Heritage Reference Group, chaired by Mr Tom Harley, Chair of the Australian Heritage Commission, to advise the Australian Government on possible ways in which Australia could assist the Iraqi people with the recovery and reconstruction of their cultural heritage.

The Chair of the Australian Heritage Commission was asked to convene the Group.  Extensive media coverage reported the destruction and looting of Iraq’s museums and libraries during the recent conflict, and a number of professional organisations including the Australian chapter of the  International Council on Museums and Sites (ICOMOS) and the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) wrote to the Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for the Environment and Heritage requesting Australian support to Iraq for the protection and restoration of their cultural heritage. 

A press release from the Minister for the Environment and Heritage of 19 May announcing the formation of the Group is Appendix B. 

2.	Cultural heritage in Iraq – current overview

Current situation:

There have been conflicting reports on the extent of the damage to Iraq’s cultural heritage.  The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Material (ICCROM) on 20 May 2003 noted the context: 

The present situation in Baghdad is not secure, water and electricity 
supplies are unreliable, and the most pressing needs are not yet clear.

A member of the Reference Group, Professor Dan Potts, Chair of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney, visited the Iraq Museum in Baghdad on 16-18 May. The Council for Australian-Arab Relations funded and organised his visit, and he took with him equipment including a digital camera, scanner and laptop computer to donate to the Museum. This was the first practical assistance given to the Museum despite the extensive media coverage. Potts described the situation in the Iraq Museum:

•	The majority of portable antiquities on display in the Iraq Museum galleries had been removed for safekeeping to another location prior to the onset of the war.
•	The rest of the portable antiquities on display were stolen. It was not immediately clear why several smaller objects were left in the cases. 
•	Of the larger statues left in situ, many suffered damage from looters trying to pry them off their bases; or to break the head off of a standing male or female statue; a number of statue fragments of various periods lay smashed on the floors of several galleries.
•	A large statue of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (over-life-size) was removed (subsequently returned), showing that although the object weighed several tons the looters were organised enough to dislodge and transport items of this sort. Similarly, the bronze base of the so-called ‘Bassetki’ statue, showing the legs of a nude ‘hero’ on a circular base and estimated to weigh c. 300 kgs, was removed from an upper gallery and dragged down the staircase.
•	The corridors are largely clean now of debris but this has been piled up at intervals in great masses of broken glass, documents and books; there are also clear signs of burning in some areas.
•	American investigators have said that about 36 objects only were looted; this figure refers only to the portable objects left in the galleries (as noted above); Dr Donny George, Director of Research of the Iraq Museum, estimates that thousands of objects were taken from the magazines. Until the recording system is re-established, it is nearly impossible to accurately estimate the loss.

Further Information on the condition of Iraq’s cultural heritage comes from a briefing from Marine Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, who led a group of military and civilian investigators working on the Baghdad Museum antiquity and recovery efforts.  A summary of a media briefing by Colonel Bogdanos on 16 May 2003 follows:

•	One of the challenges faced by the investigators has been the Museums manual and incomplete record keeping/inventory system.
•	There is also a perception among some of the Iraqi people that the Museum was associated with the former regime. Therefore there is reluctance in some quarters to return items to the Museum.
•	A number of key items have been removed for storage to underground vaults in the Central Bank of Iraq over the last 12 years. The items include gold, jewellery, scrolls and manuscripts. The inventories to these items are not complete and the vaults are still sealed.
•	There are also secret/protected storage locations that have been used by Museum staff for the last 12 years. 
•	Damage to the administrative area was greater than the museum itself.
•	‘To date, this investigation has resulted in the following: Located
337 boxes containing 39,453 ancient books, Islamic manuscripts and
scrolls safeguarded in that bomb shelter in western Baghdad.
Identified a vault containing 616 pieces of the treasures of Nimrud
and another vault containing 6,744 pieces of gold and jewellery in the
underground vaults in the Central Bank of Iraq. And finally, we have
recovered 951 pieces, including one of the oldest known bronze-relief
bulls, a pottery jar from the Sixth Millennium B.C., and one of the
earliest known Sumerian statues’.
•	Hundreds of these pieces that have been recovered have come from
Iraqi citizens following an amnesty no-questions-asked program.
•	The majority of the work remaining, that of tracking down each of
these missing pieces will likely take years. It will require the
cooperative and concerted effort of all nations.

There has been great concern about the situation in regional areas, with reports of looting by large groups of armed men. Sites attacked by looters include Nippur and Larsa in the south, and in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. Concern about the looting at several important archaeological sites including those of Nimrud and Kish have led to them being protected by US led coalition forces. Regional museums including the Mosul Museum have also been looted. 

3.	International responses

There are at present several organisations and activities focused on assessing the extent of losses to Iraq’s cultural heritage.  These include UNESCO, the British Museum and a number of American organisations. 

All the responses received in the preparation of this report indicated clearly that any recommendations should only be implemented in close consultation and cooperation with activities of the Iraq Department of Antiquities and Heritage (DAH), other relevant Iraqi authorities, and UNESCO, UK and USA initiatives. 

United Nations Resolution

On May 22 2003 the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1483 in relation to post-war arrangements in Iraq.  Clause 7 relates specifically to cultural property illegally removed. This clause states that:

‘ … all Member States shall take appropriate steps to facilitate the safe return to Iraqi institutions of Iraqi cultural property and other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare, scientific, and religious importance illegally removed from the Iraq National Museum, the National Library, and other locations in Iraq since the adoption of resolution 661 (1990) of 6 August 1990, 
including by establishing a prohibition on trade in or transfer of such items 
and items with respect to which reasonable suspicion exists that they have been illegally removed, and calls upon the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Interpol, and other international organizations, as appropriate, to assist in the implementation of this
paragraph’. 

Australia’s Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 will allow the seizure and return to Iraq of illegally exported objects found entering Australia.  The Iraq (Reconstruction and Repeal of Sanctions) Regulations 2003 covers the ‘possession and or transfer’ of looted Iraqi objects. This Act applies to Australians both within and outside Australia.

UNESCO and the British Museum organised two meetings of international experts, on 23rd and 29th April 2003.  The following resolutions were unanimously made at the second meeting:
•	the cultural reconstruction of Iraq should be led by the Iraq Department of Antiquities, drawing on the expertise and support of the international community;
•	the coalition forces in Iraq should take all possible steps to prevent further export of antiquities from Iraq;
•	the Security Council should impose sanctions on trade in antiquities illegally exported from Iraq as requested by the Director-General of UNESCO; and
•	UNESCO sent a mission to Iraq from 15-20 May 2003. A report from this mission is not yet available.

Other recommendations made by Dr Donny George of the Iraq Museum and representing the Iraq Department of Antiquities at the meeting on April 29th are in Appendix C.  They are consistent with the recommendations included in this report. 

Interpol organised an international conference in Lyon, France on 5-6 May to consider the integration and strengthening of international efforts to stop trafficking in cultural property stolen in Iraq. This was supported by UNESCO, ICOM and included both public and private sector subject matter experts.

Mr Bryan Hanley attended this meeting on behalf of the Reference Group, supported by the Department of Environment and Heritage.  During this meeting Mr Hanley worked with Interpol and the International Council of Museums to develop a ‘Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk’; he contributed to an international approach to evidence collection; and established ongoing strategic links with police agencies in Britain and the United States with responsibilities for the detection and tracking of art crime. As a result of participating in this meeting Mr Hanley was able to supply an English translation of current Iraqi heritage law to Australian authorities. His contribution to the outcomes of the meeting have been acknowledged by former AFP commission Mick Palmer who attended the meeting as a independent observer at the request of the Secretary General of Interpol. 

UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Activities include:

•	logging offers of assistance and advice – interested in Australian response;
•	linking with British Museum, UK universities, the Coalition Provisional Authority  and Iraq Department of Antiquities; 
•	Ministers have written to British Art Federation reminding them of obligations concerning looted art; 
•	Pushing through legislation to combat substantial market in illicit trade ‘Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Bill; and
•	Re lifting of UN sanctions: supporting statement by UNESCO, which calls for selective imposition of sanctions on all Iraq cultural objects.

British Museum 

•	Following a request before the war by the University of Mosul, the British Museum is making digital replicas of 1,000 ancient cuneiform tablets and sending them back to Iraq. The data can then be used to recreate a virtual copy of the tablet, which can be viewed on a computer or over the Internet.

The following information on other international activities has been supplied by ICCROM:

International Council of Museums (ICOM)
•	Developing a “Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk”;
•	This list is to be put on Interpol’s database, and will soon be available on ICOM website (http://icom.museum);
•	At present, they have published a list of objects from the Iraq Museum which are definitely looted and damaged, as established in Baghdad by Dr. Donny George of the Iraq Museum and Dr. John Curtis of the British Museum. This list can be accessed at http://icom.museum/iraq_missing.html.

British Library
•	Has conducted an assessment of damage to library and archive collections drawing upon the following sources:
o	Verbal report by Dr. Donny George, Director of Research, Iraqi Museum;
o	Detailed written report by Edouard Metenier, French researcher based at IFAPO, Damascus, who spent six months working in Iraqi libraries from November 2002; and
o	Information posted on web-groups.

United States Department of State – Cultural Property Advisory Committee (US DOS – CPAC)
•	Contributed US$2 million to cover costs associated with conduct of:
o	ICOM meeting 7 May to develop emergency ‘Red List’ of Iraqi Antiquities at risk;
o	Re-establishment of American research in Iraq; and
o	Creation of a US DOS – CPAC database, now on-line at:http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/

University of Chicago – Institute of Oriental Research

•	Is acting as a clearing house for an electronic “hot sheet”, where pictures and detailed descriptions of Iraq’s missing antiquities are being posted on their website. The site includes published and unpublished material.
•	running newsgroup IraqCrisis which circulates all information publically available on the situation; and 
•	compiling a “Bibliography of books documenting the contents of the Iraq Museum, the national library and archives, and the ms collection of the ministry of religious endowments - all in Baghdad - as well as of other damaged or destroyed collections in Baghdad or elsewhere in Iraq including Mosul, Basrah, Suleimaniyeh, etc. http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/iraq_bibliography.html.

Iraqi authorities
•	The National Museum in Baghdad is currently drawing up a list of objects missing from its inventories following on from this war;
•	The records of the Museum are not computerised, so progress is slow.

International support for activities
Offers of funding and other support are being made.  The following initiatives have been announced:
•	Italy has pledged 1,000,000 Euros to fund an archaeological mission. The Carabinieri art squad is mobilized;
•	Japan has pledged US$1,000,000 to a UNESCO fund and is setting up a fund for public donations to help preserve and restore Iraq’s antiquities.  The Japanese government will also fund exhibitions to raise awareness in Japan of Iraq’s heritage.  They are also discussing exchange programs between Iraq and Japan for Museum personnel;
•	Britain is supporting the British Museum, which is the lead agency for UNESCO, to protect Iraq’s cultural heritage;
•	US government has given $1,000,000 to ICOM to create the ‘red list’ and has promised further assistance.  A team initially led by US Marine Colonel Matthew Bogdanos is investigating the missing items in the Iraq Museum;
•	UNESCO sent a mission to Baghdad led by the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, Mr Mounir Bouchenaki, the mission also consisted of the Director of the British Museum, Mr Neil MacGregor, the Director of the Iraqi-Italian Centre for the Conservation of Monuments, Mr Roberto Parapetti, the Chief of the Archaeological Mission of Japan in Iraq, Mr Ken Matsumoto, as well as Mr John Russell, Dean of the Massachusetts College for Arts.  It was organised in close cooperation with the UN Coordinator for Security and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq, Mr Ramiro Lopes da Silva, the American authorities and Iraqis in charge of the Baghdad Museum.

4.	Australian responses

The Reference Group has recommended areas of possible assistance by Australian agencies, institutions and organisations.  These will be considered by government and heritage institutions and organisations consulted in the development of the recommendations.  Appendix E lists organisations consulted.
 
An informal working group to consider issues raised by the Reference Group has been established including Department Of Foreign Affairs And Trade, Prime Minister & Cabinet, Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts, Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs.  This Group has met twice and will meet again to consider the report of the Reference Group.

5.	Recommendations: on the Terms of Reference 

5.1	Advice on how the Australian Government could assist with emergency conservation measures, and the security of the remaining cultural heritage artefacts and sites in Iraq, including Museums and libraries in Baghdad and regional areas.

Recommendations:

•	Support the participation of Australian experts at international meetings;

•	Support the wide distribution of ICOM ‘Red List’ by placing it on government web sites, including Environment Australia, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs;

•	Circulate Dr Lyndel Prott’s comments on Iraqi Antiquities legislation to Australian and international departments and authorities; 

•	Support the Coalition Provisional Authority and UNESCO on the urgent need to address the security of museums, libraries and archaeological sites in regional areas:
o	Forwarding proposal for security guards to UNESCO and the British Museum for international consideration.

Security of archaeological sites at risk of being looted: this was a key issued raised by the Australian Archaeological Association (AAA), the Australian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA), Australia ICOMOS and others.  Information suggests that important cultural heritage sites have been looted over the past 12 years.  Sites with open trenches, exposed built features and other archaeological evidence were and are still at risk of being dug into, artefacts removed and sold illegally.

Action: provide immediate protection by reinstating the guard system for one year.  This protection is usually provided by appointing local residents to guard the nearby archaeological site.  Generally two armed guards would be  needed to provide a constant on-site presence and may need a small on-site hut for shelter.

Information identified some 54 previously excavated sites, most at risk, and standing built heritage, later sites and early prehistoric cave sites may also be at risk, although possibly not targeted to the same degree as the archaeological sites dating between 5000BC and 500AD.  (A list of the sites can be found at http://users.ox.ac.uk/~wolf0126)
Costs – estimate for protection some 50 sites for one year – these estimates (in AUD) would need to be confirmed with the Iraq Department of Antiquities and Heritage and other authorities and with current excavation permit holders

COST:
Approximately  $100 a month x 2 guards / site = 				$2400 /year /site
50 sites selected in consultation with the Iraq DAH							$120,000 
other logistical costs for guards (huts and arms)							       $30,000 
Total		$150,000 

5.2.	Potential actions Australian Defence Force troops could take on-ground to assist with tracing Iraq’s cultural heritage including border issues and smuggling.

A small number of ADF troops remain in Iraq to provide support and security for the reestablishment of the Australian mission.  No immediate actions are therefore included against this term of reference. 

5.3.	Consideration of appropriate Australian specialists to provide the Reference Group with advice on:
•	Recovery and restoration of cultural heritage artefacts
•	best practice forensic methods and intelligence appropriate to the recovery of cultural heritage artefacts.

Recommendations:

•	Support Interpol, the US, UK and Iraq authorities with investigation and tracing of Iraq antiquities

•	Support the Iraq museums and libraries with the development of databases where possible.

Action has already taken on this item by the participation of Mr Bryan Hanley in an international meeting organised by Interpol in Lyon on May 5-6.

Key outcomes of Mr Hanley’s involvement in this meeting were his contribution to the development of an international approach to the collection of evidence for potential civil and criminal proceedings, and to the ‘Emergency Red List of Iraqi Antiquities at Risk’.

The development of this ‘Red List’ is a prerequisite for Australia being able to seize and return any artefacts looted from Iraq under the Australian Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986.  It will also assist Australia in meeting its obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Mr Hanley also contributed to a question and answer document for ‘first responders’ who may have to deal with suspected trafficked goods. 

Most importantly, he has been able to supply the first English draft of the 2002 Iraqi Antiquities legislation to Australian departments including the Department of Environment and Heritage, Department Of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Attorney-General’s Department and Department of Defence. Attorney-General’s Department have advised that this legislation is likely to remain in force, excepting the provisions relating to the death penalty for certain offences. 

There are other implications of the trafficking of Iraq cultural property. Prior to the recent conflict in Iraq, Interpol ranked crime associated with stolen cultural property amongst illicit trafficking in narcotics, firearms and money laundering at between USD$4 – 5 billion per annum.  In the present global environment, it is likely that looted Iraq Cultural Property will be converted into currency, with the proceeds most likely flow on to major and organised crime groups including terrorists.

The most effective techniques to combat this type of crime are using current intelligence driven reactive and proactive strategies. There are a number of specialist courses that have been developed to develop capacity and awareness for law enforcement agencies and cultural property professionals. The details of these courses are outlined in Appendix E. These courses are offered in Australia at a rate of A$6 000 per day, while courses in other locations are calculated at a rate of A$8 000 per day.

5.4 The potential for Australian specialists to provide onground support to assist Iraq in the recovery and restoration of its cultural heritage artefacts.

Recommendations:

•	Support cultural exchange between Australian and Iraqi cultural heritage professionals

•	Further to the recommendation of ASA, and in view of the reports of Dr Danny George and the Colonel Bogdanos, contact UNESCO to support the inclusion of an archivist in any fact-finding missions to Iraq.

The Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR) funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade sponsored a visit to Baghdad 16-18 May by Dr Daniel Potts, Professor of Middle Eastern Archaeology, University of Sydney, to help with the restoration of the Iraq Museum.  

On behalf of CAAR, Dr Potts spent several hours demonstrating the use of the donated equipment including laptop and scanner and training Museum staff in their use.

Dr Potts said the mission was a complete success. ‘The gifts were much needed and gratefully accepted by the Director of Antiquities and his staff.  This was the first material support the Museum had received of any kind, and the authorities were very grateful indeed’.

The Council’s initiative has been supported by the Reference Group.

Australia has strengths and experience in the delivery of regional museums and cultural programs.  Australia could consider a region in consultation with the Iraq Antiquities authorities, the Coalition Provisional Authority and UNESCO, and concentrate its efforts there to assist in delivering good conservation and heritage management outcomes. One area which is suggested is northern Iraq where Australia did have a research wheat station in the 1980s.  Northern Iraq has a diverse ethic population and has well-established regional museums and a University at Mosul. 

An Australian archivist has participated in an AusAID program of assistance to the National Archives of Cambodia following the cessation of conflict in Cambodia.  The archivist was placed in the Archives and was able to provide skills and knowledge in assisting the rebuilding of the Archives and documenting the loss of life of Cambodians in the 'Killing Fields'.  The archivist, Peter Arfanis, maintained strong contact with the Australian Society of Archivists during this placement.  The ASA was able to organise and ship material supplies to assist in the rebuilding of the National Archives of Cambodia.  The ASA would be interested in working with communities and regions of Iraq to re-establish archives and supportive of professional placements.

The International Council of Archives has been active in investigating reports on the destruction of archives.  However, the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) noted that as of the 14 May 2003, the UNESCO mission to assess and report on damage to cultural heritage and property would not be including an archival expert.  The ASA recommends that the Cultural Heritage Reference Group through its work with the Australian Government urgently petition UNESCO to ensure an archives expert is included in this important mission.  Without the participation of an archives expert and an accurate assessment of damage, planning for the reconstruction of Iraq's archives and current recordkeeping systems will not occur.

5.5.	Cooperation with interim bodies, local cultural authorities, Blue Shield, UNESCO, and other international and national bodies on cultural heritage conservation in Iraq.

Recommendations:

•	Encourage Australia ICOMOS and other professional organisations to establish an arm of Blue Shield in Australia. 
•	Encourage professional organisations to make contact with Iraqi professionals in cultural heritage with a view to supporting and working with them in the medium to longer term 
•	Seek support from libraries, archives, and cultural institutions for coordinating the restocking of libraries, particularly university libraries in Iraq. 
•	The timing of shipments is critical, as was demonstrated in the East Timor experience, where volumes were delivered when there was no capacity for storage.
•	Consideration of provision of short-term infrastructure (housing, laboratory, storage etc) for on-site conservation, particularly in remote areas, as Australia is a world-leader in the design and supply of temporary/transportable buildings.
•	Consideration of provision of mobile conservation laboratories.

Government and universities could offer to provide back or duplicate copies of relevant material.  In addition a number of heritage practioners have suggested they could/would donate publications through a call to professionals in Australia to donate publications.  However, for the idea to work an inventory of the publications being offered would need to be undertaken, and the views of Iraqi recipient authorities sought to confirm its utility.  This needs to be provided to the Iraqi authorities with shipping details.  Each case needs to have its own inventory which can be checked off the master list.  Otherwise the donation of books is useless as it simply adds cataloguing problems to the large catalogue problem that currently exists in Iraq. 

5.6.	Training and capacity building for cultural heritage conservation and management in Iraq including security and emergency procedures, documentation, restoration, storage and display of cultural heritage artefacts, materials, buildings and sites.

Recommendation:

•	Support exchanges between Australian and Iraqi cultural heritage professionals as outlined in the ICOMOS proposal

The professional organisations consulted all supported the medium to long-term engagement and exchange with their Iraqi colleagues.  It was emphasised that it is imperative that any proposals of the Australian Government are developed in conjunction with the Iraqi Antiquities authorities and appropriate international bodies to ensure that any activities undertaken are wanted, are not duplicating other activities, and will assist, rather than hinder, the rebuilding process.

The current problems in Iraq will not be solved in the short term even if all the artefacts, manuscripts and books are recovered.  The devastation of cultural property and associated records will take years to rebuild.  Australia needs to implement a long-term program, that will assist Iraq not only to rebuild its cultural heritage management but also assist it in capacity building for the future.

ICOMOS has presented a detailed costed proposal for developing an exchange of Australian and Iraqi professionals with the aim of building Iraqi regional capacity to manage archaeological sites, built heritage and associated museum collections of movable cultural heritage.  This proposal supports an integrated approach to place and collections heritage management.  The Iraq Department of Antiquities and Heritage has responsibilities for both museums and places, and therefore such an approach is appropriate.  The approach would encourage capacity building to ensure long-term protection of important regional heritage, and would provide a model for implementation in further regions of Iraq.

The detail of this proposal as outlined by Australia ICOMOS are in Appendix F. This proposal would support a cultural and professional exchange between Australia and Iraq.

There is also potential for National and State collecting institutions (specifically museums, libraries and archives) to participate in exchange and training programs for library and museum professionals. 

Skills

The issue of appropriate skills was raised by a number of organisations and individuals. These issues are summarised by the comments of ICOMOS below. All the organisations are able to provide lists of appropriate specialists if required. 

There are key criteria that are essential to any provision of useful capacity building in such a sensitive time of post-war reconstruction, so that individuals with a combination of the following skills are to be preferred.

Knowledge and experience in Middle Eastern archaeology, architecture, history and culture, with on-ground experience in site recording, mapping and artefact recording; cross-cultural and language skills; heritage management skills in place management and museum management, especially in cross-cultural and remote areas and strategic regional heritage management and planning.

Technical skills:
•	physical conservation skills – structures and museum objects
•	archival/database/library skills
•	databases and GIS skills for site recording, mapping and artefact recording and register-keeping
•	engineering/architectural skills
•	legal/security skills
•	capacity to share all the above skills with others / training
•	community consultation

APPENDIX A

CULTURAL HERITAGE REFERENCE GROUP FOR IRAQ
TERMS OF REFERENCE

General: The purpose of the Cultural Heritage Reference Group is to provide advice to the chair of the Australian Heritage Commission, Mr Tom Harley, on appropriate action that may be considered by the Australian Government to assist Iraq with the recovery and future protection of its cultural heritage following the recent conflict.

The advice could be provided on appropriate ways to support the recovery and restoration of cultural property, particularly on the provision of international expertise to assist with the recovery of stolen artwork and artefacts. This advice would be context of Australia’s international obligations, including those under the 1954 Hague Convention.

Advice could also be provided on assistance in rebuilding Iraq’s capacity for cultural heritage conservation and management.  The advice of the Group would be developed in the context of overall measures to protect Iraq’s cultural heritage, including those being carried out by coalition partners, international agencies, and local cultural authorities.  

The Reference Group, through the Commission, will be able to identify issues, propose strategies and respond to requests from Australian Commonwealth Interdepartmental Bodies and Committees dealing with cultural heritage issues and reconstruction. The Group will also co-op other members when specific expertise is required. 

Short Term:

•	Advice on how the Australian Government could assist with emergency conservation measures, and the security of the remaining cultural heritage artefacts and sites in Iraq, including Museums and libraries in Baghdad and regional areas. 
•	Potential actions Australian Defence Force troops could take on-ground to assist with tracing Iraq’s cultural heritage including border issues and smuggling.
•	Consideration of appropriate Australian specialists to provide the Reference Group with advice on:
o	Recovery and restoration of cultural heritage artefacts
o	best practice forensic methods and intelligence appropriate to the recovery of cultural heritage artefacts.
•	The potential for Australian specialists to provide onground support to assist Iraq in the recovery and restoration of its cultural heritage artefacts

In the medium to long term the following issues could also be considered:

•	Cooperation with interim bodies, local cultural authorities, Blue Shield, UNESCO, and other international and national bodies on cultural heritage conservation in Iraq.
•	Training and capacity building for cultural heritage conservation and management in Iraq including security and emergency procedures, documentation, restoration, storage and display of cultural heritage artefacts, materials, buildings and sites.

MEMBERSHIP

Mr Tom Harley 
Chair, Australian Heritage Commission (Chair) 

Mr Kevin Keeffe 
Assistant Secretary, Heritage Management Branch, Department of the Environment and Heritage.

Mr Peter Rush
Acting Manager, Collections and Governance, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Professor Ahmad Shboul, AM
Chair, Department of Arabic & Islamic Studies, University of Sydney
Member, Council for Australian-Arab Relations, Department Of Foreign Affairs And Trade
Specialist in Arab, Islamic & Middle Eastern cultural history, including the cultural heritage of Iraq.

Dr Leah McKenzie
Manager, Strategic Projects, Heritage Victoria
Specialist, Middle Eastern archaeology
2 years fieldwork in Iraq, including at the Baghdad Museum.

Professor Amareswar Galla
Director of Studies, Centre for Sustainable Heritage Development, ANU
Technical Adviser on Cultural Heritage to UNESCO
Chairperson, Asia Pacific Executive Board & Cross Cultural Taskforce, ICOM.

Professor Dan Potts 
Chair, Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney.

Professor Jane Lennon, AM 
Cultural Heritage Consultant, Brisbane
Commissioner, Australian Heritage Commission
Australian Representative, ICCROM Council 
Adjunct Professor, Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific, Deakin University.

Mr Eric Archer 
Manager, Conservation, National Museum of Australia 
President, Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (Inc) (AICCM)

PROVIDING SPECIALIST ADVICE TO THE GROUP ON AN ‘AS NEEDS’ BASIS:

Mr Bryan Hanley
Director, Operations and Special Services, The Distillery, Braddon ACT
Member, Centre for Sustainable Heritage Development, ANU 
Internationally recognised expert in the conduct of transnational art and cultural property crime and intelligence operations 
Major, Australian Army Reserve
17 years experience with Army, police and criminal intelligence

Dr Lyndel Prott, AO
Former Director of the Cultural Heritage Division of UNESCO
Adjunct Professor, Centre for Sustainable Heritage Development, ANU
Expert on Cultural Heritage conventions including the Hague Convention
(Attorney General’s advice will be sought as required).

APPENDIX B
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Media Release
Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage
The Hon Dr David Kemp, MP
19 May 2003
K0111
Minister Acts to Protect Iraq Heritage
Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp, today announced the formation of an Australian expert cultural heritage group to provide the Federal Government with practical steps to ensure the recovery and future protection of Iraq's cultural heritage.
"The loss and damage to Iraq's cultural heritage following the fall of the Hussein regime has been a tragedy for not only the people of Iraq, but also for the global community as Iraq is regarded by many as the very "cradle of civilization".
"With some of the world's leading experts in Iraqi heritage, Australia will play a key role in cooperating with the international community, including UNESCO and Interpol, to help restore and protect Iraqi heritage which has been in sad disrepair for the last decade.
"While reports on the situation in Iraq vary considerably, first hand reports indicate significant losses in the recent conflict while coalition forces were still engaged in combat with forces loyal to Saddam Hussein.
"Australia is a signatory of the Hague Convention for the protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and Australian forces were made well aware of these obligations. I am now pleased to announce the formation of the Cultural Heritage Reference Group of Iraq which will provide important advice on how we can assist with the recovery and protection of this country's heritage.
"We are also working to ensure that we can seize and return any Iraqi looted cultural heritage which is found entering or within Australia. Australia will act promptly to ensure we are not a staging post for this illegal traffic."
Dr Kemp said Australia is working with Interpol and international heritage bodies to stop any traffic in Iraqi artefacts.
"To assist Australia's participation in this international effort, I have commissioned Mr Bryan Hanley, an international art crime expert. Mr Hanley attended the Interpol International Conference on Cultural Property Stolen in Iraq on 5-6 May in Lyon, France. He helped to frame an agreed approach to the forensic issues and was able to identify the resources and expertise needed to solve this major crime and recover missing items," Dr Kemp said.
"Australia is internationally recognised for its heritage management skills and has particular expertise to support the conservation of heritage material. Australia has been particularly successful in managing a diverse heritage over a large country with regional organizations, and in harsh and difficult conditions.
"Iraq's regional areas have lacked resources for regional areas, and this is where Australia's regional management experience may be of real assistance. There are landscape and climate similarities between Australia and Iraq, and Australians have a long tradition of working on archaeological sites in the Middle East.
"These skills and knowledge can have great application on the ground in Iraq since it appears likely that museums and libraries in areas outside of Baghdad and other major cities are likely to need assistance.
"The management of the Iraqi's heritage had been severely eroded under the previous regime and supporting the international community in strengthening heritage management will be an important element of reconstruction."
The newly established expert group is working with key Federal Government departments and agencies to formulate an urgent response to the theft of artefacts from museums and libraries across Iraq and make recommendations on the role of cultural heritage in the reconstruction of Iraq.
Dr Kemp said the group is consulting with professional organisations within Australia, including the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the Australian Library and Information Association, Museums Australia, and the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials before recommending appropriate actions for further whole of government consideration.
"The Cultural Heritage Reference Group will be urgently reporting to Government on the practical initiatives to link with other international cultural heritage assistance programs and the international effort to track down stolen artworks and artefacts," Dr Kemp said.
The members of the Cultural Heritage Reference Group for Iraq include:
Mr Tom Harley (Chair) - Chairman of the Australian Heritage Commission 
Professor Amareswar Galla - Director of Studies at the Centre for Sustainable Heritage Development, ANU, and Technical Adviser on Cultural Heritage to UNESCO 
Professor Jane Lennon, AM - Australian representative on the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) Council and Commissioner, Australian Heritage Commission 
Dr Leah McKenzie - Manager, Strategic Projects, Heritage Victoria and specialist in Middle Eastern archaeology 
Professor Dan Potts - Chair, Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney 
Dr Lyndel Prott, OA - former Director of the UNESCO Division of Cultural Heritage 
Professor Ahmad Shboul, AM - Chair, Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Sydney 
Media Contact:
Catherine Job 02 6277 7640 or 0408 648 400

© Commonwealth of Australia 

APPENDIX C

British Museum/UNESCO International Conference 29th April 2003

Dr George of the Iraq Museum made the following recommendations, which were endorsed by all present:

1.   Staffing

Staff salaries to be paid (in the first instance by Coaliltion Provisional Authority), and an urgent review of salary scales to be undertaken by the Iraq Department of Antiquities.

Staff numbers in State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to be restored to full strength, i.e. 
c. 400 archaeologists; c. 1600 guards; c. 600 technicians; c. 2600 staff in whole country

2.  New Equipment and facilities needed

Cars; Computers and printers; Scanners; Cameras; Showcases
Furniture throughout museum; Structural repairs in Iraq Museum
Security systems; Climate control in museum
Controlled storage; Conservation laboratory; Photographic studio
Email network

3.   Surveys/Conservation

Check of sites and monuments to be undertaken by staff of Iraq Department of Antiquities with whatever international assistance they request and all damage to be recorded in a six-month period. In cases of war damage, results to be verified by Coaliltion Provisional Authority nominees. Results of survey to be published.

Lists of objects stolen from sites and museums to be drawn up by staff of the Iraq Department of Antiquities with appropriate assistance.

•	Conservation assessment of objects in Iraqi museums to be undertaken by senior conservator nominated by the British Museum, working with Iraqi and international colleagues.

•	Conservation materials to be ordered and supplied.

•	Teams of conservators to be sent to Iraq to work with local conservators.

•	Small group of curators to be sent to Baghdad to assist with audit of objects in storerooms.

•	Training programmes to be established in conservation and archaeology.

To carry out the tasks of survey and conservation, the Iraqi colleagues must be able to call on the best expertise available, anywhere in the world.  All the institutions represented pledged their support.  Many other offers of help and of funding have already been received.  At the request of Dr George and of UNESCO, it was agreed that:

•	The British Museum should act as a clearing-house for offers of foreign assistance working in consultation with UNESCO, and in close collaboration with the Iraq Department of Antiquities.

•	Relevant books and publications to be donated to Iraqi institutions.

•	The journal Sumer to resume publication as soon as possible.

•	Resumption of archaeological and ethnographic work by Department of Antiquities.

•	Resumption of archaeological work by foreign teams, with the fullest involvement of Iraqi colleagues, following the model established in 1980s.

•	A separate plan of action to be drawn up for libraries and archives by the Iraq Department of Antiquities.

The British Museum, after discussion with Dr George and UNESCO, would circulate details of how the clearing house of mechanism would operate. 

Appendix D: Groups consulted/responses received 

Ausheritage 

Australia ICOMOS 

Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology

Australian Archaeological Association Inc.

Australian Library and Information Association

Australian Society of Archivists

Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material

Australian Registrars Committee

International Council of Museum 

ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property)

Museums Australia 

National Archives of Australia

National Gallery of Australia

National Library of Australia

National Museum of Australia

ScreenSound Australia 

Emeritus Professor Colin Pearson, Cultural Heritage Research Centre
University of Canberra

Graeme Clarke, Visiting Fellow, Department of History
School of Social Sciences, Australian National University
Honorary Secretary, Australian Academy of the Humanities

UK Dept of Culture, Media and Sport

APPENDIX E

Art & Cultural Property Crime Awareness Course 

The art and cultural property crime awareness course is designed for students, industry professionals and those with an interest in this field.  It has particular appeal to people studying or working in the art and cultural property industry including curatorial staff, security officers and registrars in both public and private sector galleries, museums and libraries.  With the course providing a unique insight into this type of crime, it has a similar appeal to those with an interest in archaeology, criminology, intelligence and law.  The course is flexible and can be conducted in a cumulative package ranging from one hour periods to a full day.

The aim of the course is to contribute to a safer and more confident environment by raising the participant’s level of awareness of art and cultural property related crime and to empower them with strategies in order to minimize the chance of becoming a victim of this type of crime.  The course emphasises crime prevention, networking and cooperation in an effort to develop and increase capability and knowledge across major stakeholders and within the broader community.

At the end of the course participants should be able to demonstrate an increased level of understanding of the following:

•	The concept and scale of an art and cultural property ‘industry’
•	The legal framework for artists and industry 
•	The types of crime found within the art and cultural property industry
•	An outline of the concept of ‘risk management’ and the employment of proactive and reactive strategies
•	The ability to utilise the protocols of object identification

Art & Cultural Property Crime Awareness Course (Law Enforcement)

The art and cultural property crime awareness course for law enforcement is designed for police, customs, quarantine and inspections officers.  The course normally takes two days but mindful of operational demands, is designed to be flexible and can be conducted in smaller segments if necessary.  The course provides an overview of art and cultural property crime and briefly examines relevant cases.  It provides an overview of agency responsibilities and capabilities in a multi-jurisdictional environment and examines proactive and reactive strategies including covert and overt investigative methodologies.  The course includes presentations on technology including a variety of data base, case management tools and specialist support available in the commercial and law enforcement sectors.  It fosters networking and cooperation across agencies in order to increase the skills and effectiveness of your officers.  

At the end of the course, participants are expected to demonstrate an increased level of understanding of the following:

•	The types of crime found within the art and cultural property industry
•	The legal framework that practicing artists, industry employees and members of law enforcement work within
•	Outline the employment of proactive and reactive law enforcement strategies
•	The ability to utilise the protocols of object identification 
•	The ability to identify and access specialist skills and technology

International Art & Cultural Property Crime Professionals Course (Law Enforcement & Cultural Property Industry)

The international art and cultural property crime professional’s course is designed for members of the law enforcement and cultural property industry.  The course can be conducted over a 5 to 10 day period, dependant on location and student capabilities.  

The professional’s course provides a detailed and dynamic insight into art and cultural property crime through an in depth examination of relevant cases.  It includes awareness and familiarisation with a variety of forensic support services such as computer forensic fraud investigation.  The course examines a range of models, organisational structures and a strategy based on international units and identifies current best practice.  It examines the role of Interpol and the World Customs Organisation while aiming to develop local capability.  Participants will study a variety of proactive and reactive strategies and techniques including the principles of crime reduction through environmental design, behavioural intelligence and behaviourally structured interviewing.

The course examines legislation across the spectrum ranging from international conventions to local law, policy, procedures and defines terms and language unique to the industry.  It will provide students with the ability to understand and use the intelligence process.  Students on the course will participate in an environment designed to foster mutual respect, cooperation and networking in order to provide effective ‘across industry’ solutions

Appendix F

Australia ICOMOS proposal 

Medium / Long-term assistance	Regional integrated ‘cultural exchange’ 
Training and capacity building for cultural heritage conservation and management in Iraq including security and emergency procedures, documentation, restoration, storage and display of cultural heritage.

Problem
It is understood that the regions in Iraq have been relatively starved of the Iraqi Department of Antiquity and Heritage resources.  Heritage sites and museums in the regions are at risk of continued looting and difficulty in building back up their capacity to manage their important heritage resources.

Solution
It is recommended that Australia develop an exchange of Australian Iraqi professionals with the aim to build Iraqi regional capacity to manage archaeological sites, built heritage and associated museum collections of movable cultural heritage.  The Iraq Department of Antiquities and Heritage  (DAH) has responsibilities for both museums and places and therefore an integrated approach to place and collections heritage management is appropriate.  Given past and current lack of regional resources, such capacity building will ensure long-term protection of important regional heritage, that would provide a model for implementation in further regions of Iraq.  

The particular region can only be selected with advice from DAH and other authorities, however, it is suggested that it centre around either Mosul or Basra, where the larger regional museums are placed.  Both regional centres have a hinterland of many hundreds of important sites, and in the North particularly a range of built heritage of cultural diversity.  Both regional centres also have important library and archival collections, permitting Australia to provide an integrated regional strategy of heritage assessment, protection, conservation and interpretation that would result in:

1.	Physical heritage place protection strategy 
with a staged plan for protection, conservation, management, monitoring., based on:
•	(re)mapping, the locations of sites and standing heritage places, including vernacular architecture, to provide GIS data layers of heritage resources within the region, should this no longer be available to DAH.  Such a site database and map layers will be linked to other information, including relevant artefact and museum collection database.
•	Assessment of significance of heritage places in consultation with DAH and communities to assist setting priorities for resources, conservation, and potential future interpretation and visitation plans 
•	Initial assessment of physical conservation needs of archaeological sites and standing heritage structures, according to priorities based on level of risk and degree of significance

One example of the type of actions resulting in such a plan is the back-filling of excavation trenches, now a standard requirement to meet international best practice for archaeological sites.  In the case of Iraq, many early excavated sites have not been back-filled and it is known that exposed mud-brick features are disintegrating and stone structures are spalling and exfoliating – in all cases, open excavation trenches are an invitation to unscientific digging to loot artefacts. 

It is anticipated that damaged standing heritage structures may be subject to other assistance, and Australia has less expertise in Islamic architecture than many other countries, but does have relevant skills in built materials conservation, eg stone conservation, as well as urban archaeology.

2.	Associated artefact and museum collection protection strategy (and Similar strategies for Library and Archive collections)
With a plan for museum collection storage, documentation, environmental conditions, security and display, and program for artefact conservation, based on:
•	Museum assessment of storage capacity, record-keeping, museum environment and security
•	Recording all artefacts in electronic database with photograph, origin (site), dates, and relevant publications referring to site excavation reports and other information about artefact (such as associated artefacts)
•	significance assessment
•	physical conservation assessment

3.	Identification of associated intangible values and living heritage
Consultation with communities to identify with them their living heritage cultural traditions and associations, connections and meanings with places.  Such identification will be important to local and regional communities in facilitating them to develop strategies for their social, economic and cultural revival during and after the reconstruction of Iraq.  This should be undertaken concurrently with the previous strategies in order to inform the regional interpretation strategy.

4.	Regional heritage interpretation strategy 
that includes:
•	Museum interpretation plan
•	Heritage sites interpretation plan, selecting at representative sites for key Iraqi cultural periods 
•	On-line / CD education tools with associated materials aimed at regional schools and communities

This interpretation and education strategy would be based on current Iraq resources and aimed at the Iraqi community, including schools and local communities in learning about and connecting with their regional heritage, rather than at this stage aimed at any international cultural tourism

Implementation
It is proposed that such medium and long-term assistance, the Australia-Iraq Cultural Exchange, be undertaken between Australia and Iraq on the following basis:
1.	Work be undertaken in Iraq with DAH staff, local authorities, university students / high-school students as on-ground training
2.	Key Iraqis be identified to undertake further training in a ‘train-the trainer’ system in Australia that results in those individuals then providing skills to other Iraqis in that region and other regions; other highly suitable short training courses are provided by ICCROM (which may consider special courses for Iraq’s needs that this Australian initiative could link with)
3.	The strategy for heritage places and their associated objects be integrated with work undertaken for regional libraries and archives, thus drawing on relevant conservation, record-keeping and other technical skills across all these aspects of Iraq’s cultural heritage.

The phases of implementation would include:
1.	Initial offer by Australian Government agreed with relevant Iraqi authorities and other bodies
2.	Expert visit (2-people) to negotiate details, protocols and time-lines for this Australian-Iraq Cultural Exchange
3.	Cultural Exchange to be an initial 3-year plan to consist of:
•	Experts taken off-line / funded for 2 months / year in identified Iraq region – in the case of the heritage places and museum team this would consist of about 6 people being preferably people with a combination of skills (see below)
•	Each year follow-up training in Australia totalling some 5 key people at relevant agencies (3-months), eg in conservation, heritage databases, interpretation, or funding attendance of relevant short-courses at eg ICCROM or with some course-work at Australian university, eg summer course in heritage conservation at University of Canberra etc (1-month)

Costs
A very rough estimate for an integrated approach would include a team of some 6 people for 3 years:
•	Per person for with 2 months / year in Iraq region		= $20,000
•	Per person training for short-courses (1 month stay)	= $10,000
•	Per person internships (3-month stay)			= $15,000
•	(based on approximations including travel, in lieu salary, and allowances etc)

•	Team of 6 for 3 years								$360,000
•	Other logisitical / infrastructural costs, eg vehicles etc (approx)			$40,000
•	Training for 5 people in Australia in Shortcourses / Internships
 / support to ICCROM					(approx)		$100,000
Total (3 years)	$500,000