[29/08/2026 07:23]

AMMAN - SABA
The Minister of Culture and Tourism Eng. Motea Damaj and the Chairwoman of the Jordanian National Heritage Fund, Chairwoman of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) - Jordan and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, Princess Dana Firas and the Representative of the American Foundation Zaydon Zayed initiated today, Saturday, in Amman, an international workshop on combating the illicit trafficking of Yemeni cultural property.

The workshop headlined "Toward establishing a sustainable national Yemeni mechanism for coordination among authorities concerned with protecting cultural property (The National Task Force).

It is organized by the Board of American Overseas Research Centers in cooperation with the American Institute for Yemeni Studies and the American Cultural Research Foundation.

The workshop is part of the grant for implementing the Cultural Property Agreement (CPAIG) between the Republic of Yemen and the United States, and within the framework of close cooperation between the American and Yemeni sides, represented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The 7-day workshop brought together staff from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Interior (Interpol Department, land and airport security), the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Antiquities Prosecution, the General Authority for Antiquities and Museums and its branches in government-held governorates, the Customs Authority, and a group of international experts and regional and international organizations specialized in cultural heritage protection.

The workshop is also intended to set up a Yemeni task force to combat the illegal trafficking of Yemeni cultural property, boost coordination among Yemeni institutions and develop their capabilities in protecting cultural heritage.

The Minister of Culture underscored the importance of this workshop, which is designed to help protect Yemen's cultural heritage, prevent its looting, smuggling and illegal trade, as well as work on recovering what has been unlawfully taken.
He expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan the U.S. government and to all partners of the Yemeni government for their support and cooperation in protecting Yemeni heritage.

Dammaj also highlighted the negative impacts of the war-time on the Yemeni cultural properties, saying "Yemeni cultural heritage has paid a heavy price during the years of war waged by the Houthi terrorist militias".

" Historical sites, landmarks and archaeological collections have been subjected to the damages of war, looting, theft, and illegal trafficking, while the war conditions have weakened the national institutions' capacity to protect, monitor and enforce the law", he added.

---