ICCROM-Sharjah concludes ‘International first aid course for police units’

SHARJAH, 19th December, 2019 (WAM) -- In partnership with the International Criminal Police Organisation, INTERPOL, and with the financial support of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Government, and gracious support of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, ICCROM-Sharjah concluded the international training course on the "First Aid to Cultural Heritage for Preventing Illicit Trafficking in Times of Crisis".

On this occasion, a closing ceremony was held in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development, in the premises of the ICCROM Regional Office on Thursday.

The closing event was attended by a number of Ambassadors and Consul-Generals accredited to the UAE, representatives of partner institutions such as the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, as well as the Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah Archaeology Authority, and heads of Police corps nationwide.

Some 25 representatives from INTERPOL Regional and National Bureaus and specialised police units for the protection of cultural heritage from Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, and the Arab Region participated in the two-week training course, which was aimed at building the capacity of the police units on first aid to cultural heritage in times of crisis.

In his welcoming speech, Dr. Zaki Aslan, Director of ICCROM- Sharjah, gave a narrative of the training and its importance for the protection of our joint cultural heritage, especially with the increase in the number of disasters and conflicts around the world.

Lt. Col. Corrado Catesi, Coordinator of the INTERPOL’s works of Art Unit, said, "This training course is one of the main results of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between INTERPOL and ICCROM to concretely improve the capability of the police forces in preventing and countering all forms and aspects of trafficking in cultural properties and related offences."

Vincent Pasquier, Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission represented the Swiss Government, and also spoke about the importance of this training internationally.

At the end of the ceremony, the participants gave a presentation on the final simulation that they implemented on the previous day, after which certificates were handed over to them by Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid.