On Monday, the United Nations cultural sector, UNESCO, launched the world’s first virtual stolen cultural objects museum, which lists thousands of artifacts that can be viewed in 3D.
The initiative was initiated at the UNESCO World Cultural Policy and the Conference on Sustainable Development in Barcelona. The virtual museum was designed by architect Francis Kéré in collaboration with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). Funding for the project is provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
UNESCO said in a statement that the museum “is based on the appeal [UN] Member States adopt coordinated strategies to raise awareness of illicit trafficking. “The UNESCO’s 1970 General Assembly called on signatories to fight against illegal trade in cultural property, an Interpol warned that the market is increasingly dominated by organized crime networks. ”
Organized by a geographical region, the museum is divided into sections including the “audience hall” which explains the purpose of the plan: “Protect the world’s shared heritage and fight against looting and illicit trafficking of cultural property.”
In the “Stolen Cultural Object Gallery”, users can view bronze Buddha statues such as the Ming Dynasty in China (1368–1644 CE) and the Syrian gold medal pendant (120 CE) robbed from the Palmyra Museum. Return and Recovery Room provides information on how to recover objects. Among these objects is a trilobite fossil, which was repatriated to Morocco by Chilean custom in 2024.
UNESCO Director Audrey Azoulay said in a statement: “Behind every stolen work or debris is a piece of history, identity and humanity, which has twisted from its custodians, making research incredible and now has the risk of falling into the risk of forgetting. Our goal can enable these work to be restored to the scene and to be restored to a normal cause on site and to access it, and it can be carried out socially, and it is social, and it is social, and it is always part of a society’s scope.
