Algerian Radio
The Minister of Culture and Arts, Malika Bendouda, presided on Tuesday in Algiers over the opening of a workshop on combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, organized as part of a working visit to Algeria by a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
This meeting is part of the efforts aimed at strengthening cooperation mechanisms and the exchange of experiences in the field of cultural heritage protection and the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Taking part in this workshop, which will continue until June 26, are international experts from several European countries and Canada, as well as Algerian experts representing various security and sectoral bodies and institutions involved in the protection and preservation of cultural heritage.
On this occasion, Ms. Bendouda indicated in her address to the OSCE delegation that the protection of cultural property constitutes "a national and sovereign responsibility falling within the framework of preserving the nation's collective memory and the common heritage of humanity."
"Faced with growing threats to cultural heritage, notably the illicit trafficking of cultural property, theft, smuggling, and transnational organized crime, Algeria has adopted a comprehensive approach based on strengthening the legal and institutional framework, developing coordination mechanisms between the various concerned sectors, and intensifying international and regional cooperation in this field," she stated.
Algeria "ensured very early on the establishment of specialized mechanisms to combat crimes affecting cultural property, in coordination with partner security services," she added, emphasizing that "this partnership constituted a flagship step towards building a specialized national system for the protection of cultural property, tasked with ensuring operational coordination on a national scale."
In this context, she indicated that "nearly 15,000 cultural properties were seized and recovered in 2025," underlining that Algeria "suffered for 132 years under (French) colonialism, a period marked by the plundering of its cultural heritage and the transfer of a considerable number of cultural properties abroad..."
In this framework, Ms. Bendouda assured that Algeria "is continuing its efforts to recover its cultural heritage located abroad, in collaboration with specialized international organizations, led by UNESCO."
Furthermore, after presenting the objectives and missions of the organization, the Chair of the Heritage Crime Task Force (HCTF) within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Walter Cameron, praised the initiative "of partnership and cooperation with Algeria, which aims to coordinate and strengthen capacities to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property, identify means to preserve them, and build stronger partnerships between Europe and its partners in the MENA region."
The first day of this workshop was marked by several presentations focusing notably on "the legislative framework for the protection of cultural heritage in Algeria" and "the role of the naval forces, coast guards, and national gendarmerie and national security units in the fight against criminal networks involved in the illicit trafficking of cultural property."
