US-GNA cultural heritage agreement provides investor opportunities
Published on Saturday 3 March 2018 Back to articlesOver the last few months, Libyan photojournalists have launched a social media campaign to increase local public awareness of the beauty and fragility of Libya’s art and architecture, and broader cultural heritage. Photographer Hiba Shalabi has been one of the leaders of this movement, and has highlighted the destruction and decay of historically significant sites in Tripoli, in particular, including the old US Consulate.
Protecting Libya’s cultural heritage is an opportunity for international companies and governments to contribute to the protection of significant historical artifacts and thereby cultivate goodwill with the Libyan population which is naturally suspicious of foreign involvement in the country. Libya is home to five UNESCO world heritage sites: the Roman ruins at Leptis Magna; Sabratha — which were damaged in the recent conflict — and Cyrene; as well as the old town of Ghadamès; and the Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus.
In December, the US announced new emergency import restrictions on cultural heritage objects from Libya in an attempt to undermine the financial incentives to loot these and other sites. Then, on 23 February, US Under-secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Steven Goldstein and Government of National Accord (GNA) Under-secretary for Political Affairs Lutfi al-Mughrabi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to co-operate on efforts protecting cultural property. The agreement includes restrictions on categories of archaeological material representing Libya’s cultural heritage from 1200BC until 1750AD and Ottoman materials from 1552AD-1911AD.
The agreement aligns with the core interest of the US in Libya: to combat Islamic State (IS). The latter has been able to finance itself in Libya in part through the sale of local antiquities. Unlike in Iraq and Syria, it has been unable to sell Libyan oil and has only briefly had the ability to levy taxes on local populations in Derna and Sirte, and possibly parts of Benghazi.
The agreement does not, however, include any US commitment to help rebuild damaged and looted sites, which requires commitment of resources and expertise. The opportunity remains — and the local demand is there — for foreign investments in the proper preservation and securing of these sites under threat, and protecting the country’s cultural heritage.
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