51 Donatello Cirillo Lt. Col. Cdr. of Carabinieri Forestry Group - Catanzaro rary peacekeeping operations. A poor state of the environment, as well as its impoverishment or worsening, in fact only exacerbates the likelihood of conflict and thus of the socio-political situation precipitating armed conflict. This, then, is where the importance and urgency of initiatives such as Agenda 2030 and the resolution passed in 2010 by the U.N. General Assembly by which access to water was defined as a basic right to life comes from. Indeed, the promotion and implementation of not only sustainable, but concerted and shared development of available natural resources are essential to preventing conflict and building peace. 4 J.D. COLGAN, Fueling the fire: pathways from oil to wars, International Security, 2013 states that nearly half of the wars that have erupted since 1973 have an oil connection. 5 It is estimated that more than 1,700 conflicts around the world are attributable to environmental management, a figure approximated by default given the lack of information on the situation in some large countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico and in many Southeast Asian countries. Most of these conflicts are socio-environmental, because they involve local communities, movements and civil society associations in the struggle for the protection of environmental commons (water, air, forests, ecosystems, ...) and their fundamental human rights, which are endangered by the construction of large infrastructures (dams, roads, pipelines, ...), the exploitation of rich mineral deposits (bauxite, uranium,ec. ), fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal), as well as marginal lands for intensive agriculture and biofuels by central governments, multinational and state-owned enterprises. 6www.un.org.peacebuilding/files/1._ohchr_ thematic_paper_on_the_contribution_of_hr_ to_sp_and_recommendations.pdf (thematic paper, 2020 review on www.ohchr.org). 7 Report of the Secretary general, peacebuilding in the affermath of conflict, 23 September 2014, UN Doc. A/69/399–S/2014/694, par. 49. 8 The increasing complexity of military operations faced by the international community over the past decade, in one with their ever-increasing scope, has prompted most governments - of the UN, NATO and the EU - to develop themes that can address crisis management with an all-inclusive approach. The term “all-inclusive approach” is a translation of the English expression Comprehensive Approach (Ca) of which there is no official internationally agreed definition, but a broad informal sharing of its ‘practical’ meaning, which emphasizes the importance of integrating political, security, economic development, human rights and humanitarian aspects in the management of modern missions. The aim is to increase the coherence of crisis response by allocating roles and responsibilities among the different actors, so as to avoid wasteful duplication of energy and resources, referring to a desirable common ‘vision’ of intervention; this also taking into account the fact that the military dimension, although decisive and in most cases preponderant, is not able to achieve decisive results on its own. The concept is expressed very effectively by British General Rupert Smith in his best seller The Utility of Force-The art of War in the Modern World in which he states that today the use of military force is considered a solution, or part of the solution, for a wide range of problems for which it was not originally configured or designated. That is, it seeks to create a conceptual space for diplomacy, economic incentives, political pressure and other defined measures for the purpose of achieving political goals of stability and, possibly, democracy. In other words, “establishing conditions” has become the foundational element of the paradigm that defines the design and development of modern military operations; these conditions can only be realized by grasping the reality of the engagement domain in its entirety. 9 Particular reference is made to two NATO doctrine documents, MC 411/1 NATO Military Policy on Civil Military Cooperation, and AJP9 NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Doctrine, which deal with the strategic and operational aspects of CIMIC, respectively. 10 Of note is the institutional project at the international level that we can consider closest to the idea of Civilian Peace Corps developed by the United Nations called the White Helmets. The idea, launched by the Argentine government in the early 1990s, found legitimacy in the United Nations Secretary-General’s document “An Agenda for Peace,” with which the Secretary-General had articulated the idea of civilian intervention in international crisis management not only for humanitarian interventions, but also as part of security operations. The proposal was finally formalized in 1994 in a General Assembly resolution-expressly dedicated to the White Helmets (“Participation of volunteers, White Helmets, in activities of the United Nations in the field of humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and technical cooperation for development,” A/RES/49/139/B, Dec. 20, 1994) and subsequently taken up in other documents. According to the 1994 resolution, the White Helmets are made up of civilian volunteers capable of being immediately available at the request of the United Nations (“in stand-by mode”) in cases of “natural disasters and other emergencies,” for “activities in the area of emergency humanitarian assistance, as well as in promoting a gradual transition from relief to rehabilitation, reconstruction and development.” In the report on the activities of the White Helmets presented by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council on June 27, 1995,40 the areas of use of the White Helmets are further indicated: in addition to humanitarian assistance we find, significantly, “assistance in monitoring respect for human rights and their protection, together with confidence-building measures and community-based conflict prevention and resolution,” i.e., areas of intervention typical of peacekeeping. Italy has joined with 21 other countries in the White Helmets project, committing to build a national contingent that could be quickly activated with nongovernmental organizations and voluntary associations for peace, solidarity and human rights; some states (including Spain, Austria and Argentina) have already established and sent abroad (Angola, Armenia, Lebanon, Gaza, Haiti and Rwanda) contingents of UN White Helmets. The UN White Helmets are in some ways similar to the Civilian Peace Corps. They are, however, based on a conception of the role of civilians in peacekeeping missions identical to that encountered with regard to classic peacekeeping missions, that is, complementing, not replacing, the military component. 11 Art. 5-ter. Experimental program “Green Helmets for the Environment”: “1. The experimental program “Green Helmets for the Environment” is established at the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of Land and Sea with the aim of implementing, in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, international collaboration initiatives aimed at the protection and environmental preservation of national protected areas and other areas recognized internationally for their particular naturalistic value, including those falling within the reserves under the “Man and the Biosphere” - MAB program of UNESCO, and to counter the effects resulting from climate change. For these purposes, the expenditure of 2 million euros is authorized for each of the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 [...].”
52 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: CYBERSECURITY AND CYBER PEACEKEEPING Introduction In one of my previous articles, I explored the remarkable potential of contemporary technology in enhancing police investigations by using the power of Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with human investigators. I also dedicated some space to drawing parallels with the science fiction film “Minority Report,” directed by Steven Spielberg and inspired by Philip K. Dick’s short story. In this imaginative future world, the occurrence of crimes was nearly eradicated thanks to a specialized police unit capable of apprehending potential perpetrators before they could carry out any unlawful action. The invaluable assistance of the “Precogs,” individuals endowed with the ability to foresee crimes before they occur, was instrumental in this endeavour. The “Pre-Crime Department” relied on their prophetic visions to apprehend criminals before they could act, with the only challenge being to intercept them in time to prevent the commission of crimes. Starting from that point, I would like to think, imagine, speculate something different, taking my hints from the real world. Investigations on organized crime. One of the most arduous and rewarding challenges for a police officer undoubtedly lies in the pursuit of dismantling a “mafia” organization. Such operations demand a colossal effort from law enforcement agencies and often require the collaboration of various authorities spanning multiple sectors and even extending across international borders. The intricacies of these endeavours are compounded by the differences in national laws, distinct legal approaches to crimes, and different policing methodologies, all of which can pose formidable challenges and significantly impact the outcome of the investigation. To illustrate the complexity of this issue, consider that what constitutes a clear-cut crime in one country may necessitate a completely different investigative approach to demonstrate allegations of misconduct in another jurisdiction. To facilitate effective coordination and expedite responses to these complex challenges, transnational agencies have been established with the explicit purpose of fostering continuous cooperation among law enforcement entities and ensuring a rapid response to the victims. by Paolo Cambieri THE QUESTION IS: DO WE REALLY WANT TO WIN? The question is: Do we really want to win?
53 We can remember Interpol: “We connect police around the world – both technically and in person – bridging jurisdictions, time zones and languages. INTERPOL is unique. It is the only organization with the mandate and technical infrastructure to share police information globally. All 196 member countries are connected to each other and to the General Secretariat via a secure communications system called I-24/7. It also allows them to access our databases and services in real-time, from both central and remote locations. We also coordinate networks of police and experts in different crime areas, who come together through working groups and at conferences to share experiences and ideas.” (www.interpol.int) Another example of international police cooperation is Europol: “Europol’s mission is to support its Member States in preventing and combating all forms of serious international and organised crime, cybercrime and terrorism. Europol also works with many non-EU partner states and international organisations. Large-scale criminal and terrorist networks pose a significant threat to the internal security of the EU and to the safety and livelihood of its people.” (www.europol.europa.eu) Billions of dollars/euros have been invested to increase coordination and fighting the criminal organizations. Moreover, let’s not forget the dedicated investigative departments in every country, where officers give their lives to a mission: to protect and to serve, we can use this as a worldwide “motto”. Is all this investment providing us a valuable return? Absolutely. Law enforcement agencies deliver lethal hits to criminal organizations on a global scale year after year. It may take considerable time to piece together the intricate web of a transnational criminal organization or gather evidence of their illicit activities, in the end, justice prevails and the forces of good are victorious. So, we are winning. Not exactly. On a long-term span investigation, it becomes clear that law enforcement can ultimately achieve success. We have the legal framework and the dedicated personnel to dismantle all the most powerful organizations. If it’s so, what doesn’t work? These investigations often span several years, and in some instances, even decades, before reaching their objectives. “Italy’s most-wanted Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro has been arrested in Sicily after 30 years on the run. Messina Denaro was reportedly detained in a private clinic in Sicily’s capital, Palermo, where he was receiving treatment for cancer. He is alleged to be a boss of the notorious Cosa Nostra Mafia and he was tried and sentenced to life in jail in absentia in 2002 over numerous murders..” (Braking news released by BBC on January 16th, 2023.) Italians applauded the Carabinieri Officers for their remarkable achievement. I feel privileged to know some of the colleagues responsible for the arrest, and they have earned my utmost respect. They effectively beheaded one of the world’s most notorious criminal organizations. However, it has taken three decades. Why such a prolonged duration? Because the fugitive was concealed in familiar territories with a multitude of individuals prepared to offer him all the logistical and financial support required. Probably investigators went close to apprehend him many times, but one minute late can make the difference. At last, we have achieved victory, but the question remains: have we truly won? Have we permanently dismantled the organization? Can we confidently assert that this organization no longer exists? The answer is easy: like all organizations, it will adapt and reconfigure itself to continue its operations. As a company can appoint a new boss if its chief resigns, this organization will find a way to
54 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: CYBERSECURITY AND CYBER PEACEKEEPING persist and carry on its activities. We must modernise investigations to be shorter, faster, and more efficient, disrupting criminal operations effectively. The objective of these investigations should be to make any illegal enterprise an unattractive deal for criminals. AI support to investigations. Let’s give an example. An investigative team fights with an immense volume of data when tackling a case involving a drug ring. Officers must meticulously analyse emails, chats, phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and conduct examinations of properties, companies, bank transactions, and more. This intricate web of connections between individuals engaged in activities such as bank movements, drug trafficking, and money laundering presents an impressive challenge. It is no simple task to manage this amount of information and establish a comprehensive understanding of the whole organization while gathering evidence of illicit conduct. Criminals are aware of this, and they actively try to complicate the system with the aim of making any attempt to uncover the entire network and trace the laundering of money virtually impossible. Furthermore, in the present day, more than it was in the past, our dependence on witnesses seems out of step in an era of highly advanced technology often referred to as “intelligent.”. We should have the capability to gather irrefutable evidence of crimes and hold offenders accountable for their actions without any active involvement of the victims. We should be able to collect evidence of crimes and prosecute criminal for their actions, saving their victims. As we have previously observed, law enforcement efforts can span many years before they apprehend the leaders of these criminal rings and confiscate drugs. Seizing illicit gains is even more challenging due to the volume of data involved and the complexity to trace money movements across the world and hundreds of companies. This difficulty arises because processing such a vast amount of data can be an overwhelming task for human investigators. Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds immense promise in the field of policing, and probably it is to become an integral part of law enforcement in the future. Unlike humans, AI never rests, requires no food, and doesn’t experience fatigue. It has no familial responsibilities nor social commitments. AI can continuously process data, utilizing its analytical capabilities to discern connections between individuals and uncover relationships between criminals and their accomplices. It may excel at tracing the flow of money, revealing intricate networks of connections that expose the true involvement of all parties involved. Conclusions This is the right time for winning. Maybe, for the first time in our history, we have the machine able to win the war against criminal organizations. As never before, we are one step from making unattractive any illegal business for criminals, because they can no longer conceal their illicit gains and their intricate networks of connections. I want to conclude this article with one provocative sentence, going back to the title: Do we really want to win?
55 Paolo Cambieri Lt. Col. - Italian Carabinieri NATO SP COE’s Legal Advisor
ALUMNI
58 ALUMNI
59 Dear Readers, Welcome to the third edition in 2023 of the CoESPU Magazine – the online Quarterly of Stability Policing! As you can see from the contents of the magazine, it has been a very busy and productive period for CoESPU; adding many more members to our esteemed group of alumni. It has been a real pleasure seeing many of you return to Vicenza over the past few months to attend courses, serve as tutors/instructors, and participate in conferences. I always enjoy hearing about your successes at home and abroad. I would like to highlight the contribution of CoESPU Alumn Mr. Driscole Nenenga and thank him for his article regarding the use of force and military intervention. No doubt this will provide us all with some important things to consider when planning operations in complex security environments. Additionally, I would like to draw your attention to the cover of the magazine where we have highlighted the police peacekeeper. Featured in this photo is CoESPU Alumn COL Anuch Hasakunpaisarn from the Royal Thai Police during her time as a Police Advisor in South Sudan in support of UNMISS. This picture captures the essence of why peacekeepers are important and the role they play in protecting the most vulnerable populations in very difficult environments. I would like to ask for each of you to share your experiences and contributions while serving in peacekeeping missions abroad as well as the good work you are doing at home. You can send us quotes, pictures, or articles and will be sure to include them as part of the magazine. As mentioned previously in this forum, we are looking for ways to enhance our Alumni Outreach. If you have any ideas regarding alumni networking opportunities, we would like to hear from you. As always, I invite you all to follow us on our social media platforms (Facebook, X, and LinkedIn) to stay updated on our training courses, seminars, and other events. Through social media and our website, you can learn more about our activities and achievements. DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S CORNER Will Daniel Col. - US Army CoESPU Deputy Director Thank you for your continued support and interest in CoESPU’s mission and I hope you enjoy this edition of our Quarterly!
EVENTS
62 EVENTS International Conference on Cultural Heritage Protection (CHP) in Crisis Areas From 27 to 29 September 2023, in Vicenza (Italy), the CoESPU hosted the “International Conference on Cultural Heritage Protection (CHP) in Crisis Areas”, an event organised by CoESPU in cooperation with Carabinieri CHP Command. (https://www.coespu.org/courses/international-conference-cultural-heritage-protection-chp-crisis-areas)
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64 EVENTS OPENING SPEECH BY CARABINIERI DEPUTY COMMANDER LT. GEN. RICCARDO GALLETTA Distinguished Authorities, dear Guests, First of all, let me convey to all of you the regards of the Carabinieri Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Teo Luzi. My gratitude goes to the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Prefect of Vicenza, Doctor Salvatore Caccamo, the Major of the city of Vicenza, Doctor Giacomo Possamai, and the other local and international authorities I see in front of me for honouring us with their presence today. Then, a big thank you to both the Commander of the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection, Brigadier General Francesco Luigi Gargaro, and to the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units, Col. Giuseppe De Magistris, for this joint effort, which gathered today such a large group of international experts. Cultural Heritage is a vital part of everybody’s identity; by the same token, the protection of cultural and natural heritage is critical in preserving a country’s identity. Not only, in fact, do wars result in the tragic loss of human life, but also they lead very often to the mindless destruction of Cultural Property, as demonstrated by recent conflicts, which are seriously threatening Cultural Heritage, both material and immaterial, including religious monuments, archaeological sites, libraries and many others. In an era characterized by the “weaponization of everything”, deliberate and systemic attacks on Cultural Heritage have become a common feature of contemporary warfare that put in jeopardy both the peoples directly concerned and the humankind: Cultural Heritage is indeed a common good.
65 In this vein, it is crucial to identify preparatory, emergency and recovery measures to preserve cultural property during conflicts, being culture, security, and peace strictly intertwined. To this aim, the relevance of a mutual knowledge of the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities related to Cultural Heritage Protection in crisis areas constitutes the common basis for the Military and Law Enforcement, with the support from Academia, to uphold such a universal patrimony. Hence today’s Conference, to emphasise the extraordinary value of culture for humanity and raise awareness about what threatens its preservation, but also to promote worldwide peace and prosperity, for Cultural Heritage Protection is not only a fundamental human activity per se, but it is also a vital element of any peacebuilding vision. In other words, the integration of Cultural Heritage Protection in crisis and post-conflict areas should get the primacy, since it is conducive to sustainable long-term peace and development. Similarly, the protection of the Cultural Heritage squarely falls into the Stability Policing’s remit, being Stability Policing pivotal to ensure Human Security and resilience in any society. The German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer once said: “Culture is the only good of humanity which, divided among all, becomes greater instead of decreasing”. To safeguard Cultural Heritage and protect memories from our past, we must enrich our methodology, from the sphere of single, separated initiatives into an inter-operable and interdisciplinary Military – Civilian – Law Enforcement approach, based on an effective system of mutual knowledge and unity of purpose. I trust that thanks to today’s Conference we will identify the tools we need, in order to turn what we have identified as critical issues into points of strength. In light of the above, I hereby declare opened the 2023 CoESPU’s international Conference on “Cultural Heritage Protection in crisis areas”. Thank you very much for your time, for your commitment and your efforts.
66 EVENTS OPENING SPEECH BY COESPU’S DIRECTOR ON SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2023 Ladies & Gentlemen, As your host, I would like to welcome you to the International Conference on Cultural Heritage Protection in Crisis Areas, held in cooperation with the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, in Vicenza, our UNESCO’s site. Your presence here is already a success, helping to increase awareness and promote new efforts in the field of the Cultural Heritage Protection. These two days will start with the analysis and the discussions developed by different key stakeholders divided in three panels. Panel 1 will consist of experts from Military Units and Academia; Panel 2 will be made up of experts from Stability Policing entities and Training Centres, whilst Police and Legal Subject Matter Experts will populate Panel 3, with the common aim to identify best practices and possibly a common approach to enhance Cultural Heritage Protection. Only by constantly and proactively seeking the best-possible level of interaction can we hope to generate an inter-national, inter-agency, inter-operable military – civilian – law enforcement approach that, I believe, is key to success in upholding Cultural Heritage Protection. Ladies and gentlemen, I trust today you will do your best to identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to Cultural Heritage Protection in Crisis Areas. By the same token, I am convinced that we are offering you a terrific networking opportunity. Indeed, I see in front of me an impressive line-up of practitioners from the Military, Law Enforcement and Academia, who in turn will have the crucial duty to inspire their leadership worldwide.
67 Tomorrow morning, in a plenary assembly, the results achieved during the Panels’ sessions will be presented and, all together, we will proceed with the identification of action points about Stability Policing in Cultural Heritage Protection in crisis areas. The results of our efforts will be collected and published in the proceedings of this extraordinary event, as an actionable, concrete, inter-disciplinary and multi-level reference tool, seeking to maintain and encourage the capabilities of all the actors operating in a crisis area. Inspired by the remarks by US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1961 to the Graduating Class of the US Naval Academy, “You must know everything you can know about military power, and you must also understand the limits of military power. You must understand that few of the important problems of our time have, in the final analysis, been finally solved by military power alone”, please allow me to showcase Stability Policing as a cutting-edge instrument which might be used to face current and future threats also in Cultural Heritage Protection. Large scale operations, low and high-intensity conflicts, and all-domain warfare against all kind of adversaries, as well as instability situations are the today’s realities and so will be in the future. These events are being increased and fuelled especially by the deterioration and eventually by the destruction of the Cultural Heritage: sometimes, this means to annihilate populace’s memories in a broader, heinous “ethnic cleansing” strategy. Protecting Cultural Heritage is therefore very relevant and falls under the wider remit of Protection of Civilians and Human Security, crosscutting different areas: because of that, Cultural Heritage Protection activities that should be performed on the ground are therefore a major component of the Stability Policing toolbox. But what is Stability Policing? We do have only a one agreed definition, which comes from NATO: indeed, the Alliance defines SP as police-related activities intended to reinforce or temporarily replace the indigenous police in order to contribute to the restoration and/or upholding of the public order and security, rule of law, and the protection of human rights. These are not combat activities, but they might be the only solution to address the police-related security needs of the populace where the Alliance is called to operate. But historical and recent evidence have shown that they may be necessary when other actors such as the indigenous police forces, other international organizations, or even combat-oriented instruments of power are unable, unwilling and/ or unprepared to intervene. In this vein, Cultural Heritage Protection is a broad cross-cutting topic under the overarching Human Security remit, and encompasses a host of activities and actors, many derived from the Hague Convention of 1954 applicable in armed conflict. Stability Policing is and wants to be one of these contributors. In fact, on the one hand it can act in a police capacity building, allowing Host Nations to create or improve the performance of their law enforcement, also to protect Cultural Heritage. On the other hand, Stability Policing assets specialised in Cultural Heritage Protection can be deployed to detect, stop and investigate crimes and attacks against Cultural Heritage, generate Law Enforcement Intelligence, search and seize cultural property and illicit funds, generated by trafficking Cultural Heritage, for their restitution to the lawful owners and to the local population. This indeed fosters the battle of narrative and upholds the legitimacy of the mission mandate and of the local Institutions alike. Thanks again for your participation. I wish you a fruitful conference and a pleasant stay in Vicenza.
68 EVENTS Distinguished Authorities, Dear Colleagues, Ladies & Gentlemen, Welcome to the the International Conference on Cultural Heritage Protection in Crisis Areas, held in this fabulous building of Confindustria, the UNESCO Heritage Vicenza’s General Confederation of the Italian Industry. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Deputy Commander of the Carabinieri, General Riccardo Galletta, and to the Commander of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Brigadier General Francesco Gargaro, which is co-hosting the event. I would also like to thank the local Authorities, namely the Prefect of Vicenza, Doctor Salvatore Caccamo, and the Mayor of the city of Vicenza, Doctor Giacomo Possamai. Moreover, my heartfelt gratitude goes to the Questore of Vicenza, doctor Paolo Sartori, to the Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza Provincial Headquarters Commanding Officers, respectively, Col. Giuseppe Moscati and Col. Cosmo Virgilio, to the European Gendarmerie Force HQs’ Representative, Col. Carlos Coelho, of the Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana, and to the NATO Stability Policing Centre of Excellence, Col. Luigi Bramati. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my CoESPU’s team involved in this event and, last but not least, to our host, the President of Confindustria in Vicenza, Ms Laura Dalla Vecchia, without whom all of this would have not be possible. Thanks to the works carried out yesterday, the experiences gained both in Operative Theaters and during interventions in the event of more recent natural disasters, domestically and abroad, have been compared, analysed and elaborated, in order to identify how best Stability Policing can rapidly and effectively ensure the Protection of Cultural Heritage. In addition to the dire consequences for the civilian population, armed conflicts have always had an impact on Cultural Heritage, either in the form of damages caused during their kinetic phase, or because of looting, theft or vandalism (to say the least, when such misbehaviours are not aimed at Ethnic Cleansing). In today’s complex and multi-faceted environment, the protection of Cultural Property is also linked to the fight against Serious and Organised Crime and Terrorism, as often the illicit trade of works of art, which derives from crimes against Cultural Property, finances criminal groups world-wide. Legally speaking, there are a number of instruments that specifically address Cultural Property Protection, during peacetime and in conflict, in the form of international treaties, International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and Customary International Law. Notwithstanding, despite the best efforts of the international community, recent history has shown how Cultural Heritage is still targeted in the course of conflicts, either with a purely destructive purpose, such as the pounding of OPENING SPEECH BY COESPU’S DIRECTOR ON SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2023
69 two Bamyan Valley Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban in March 2001, or as a result of vandalism, pillage and illicit trade, like the so-called DAESH did, in its efforts to establish itself throughout the Middle East. Sometimes, like I said, it is a means to annihilate populace’s memories in broader, heinous “ethnic cleansing” strategies. Protecting Cultural Heritage is therefore still relevant and falls under the wider remit of the Protection of Civilians and Human Security, indeed our shared centre of gravity, as epitomised by UN Security Council - Resolution 2347 (2017), as well as the doctrine connected to the UN Agenda 2030 for the Sustainable Development relating to the field of Cultural Heritage, which established the Blue Helmets of Culture via the Unite4Heritage Task Force. The CoESPU centres its remit on policing, and therefore takes a specific stance towards the protection of Cultural Heritage: in both replacement and reinforcement missions, Stability Policing in fact may be the only actor which carries out a policing function in an area of operations. This means that Stability Policing is often the only counterpart to those national and international authorities world-wide, who are challenged by complex trans-national investigations, and are looking for reliable partners to bring culpable offenders to justice, to dismantle organised crime and terrorist groups and to sever the financing streams of those organisations behind the illicit trade of cultural goods. Stability Policing, however, can go even further. It is a fact that in situations of conflict, indigenous police forces and, in the wider sense, national relevant authorities are often unable or unwilling to manage their cultural goods in an efficient and appropriate way: thankfully, Stability Policing assets specialised in the Cultural Heritage Protection have the skills and expertise to step up to this challenge. This has taken place in Iraq and in many other theatres of operation, and the results have been very positive both in terms of operations and of capacity building. The preservation of Cultural Heritage can assist in rebuilding a society and in upholding the legitimacy of a local Government in the aftermath of a conflict, and in many cases it can give a tremendous help to the economic revival, to the security and, eventually, to the stability of a Country. We are looking forward to the outcomes of this Conference, which certainly will constitute a precious reference and a significant help to all practitioners who may be called to operate in crisis areas in such remits.
70 COESPU TRAINING COESPU TRAINING
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72 COESPU TRAINING CPTM11, STM02, AND UNSO03 JULY 4TH – AUGUST 4TH, 2023 AMOT02 SEPTEMBER 18TH – SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023 11th UN Core Pre-Deployment Training Material course, 2nd Specialized Training Material course, and 3rd UN Staff Officer course, attended by 28 students from Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand, and Uruguay. The second edition of the Army Monuments Officer Training Course (AMOT) kicked off last Monday September 18th, 2023, at the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza, Italy. The course was a 10-day training program that provides military and police officers with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect cultural property in times of armed conflict. The first edition of the AMOT course was held in Washington DC, United States in 2022, with specialists from the Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, which has its headquarters at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and from the Carabinieri (Airborne), which in 1969 was the first in the world to establish a specialized unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. This unit, known as the “Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale (TPC - https://www.carabinieri.it/chi-siamo/oggi/organizzazione/mobile-e-speciale/comando-carabinieri-per-la-tutela-del-patrimonio-culturale), has a database of stolen cultural property (more than 7 million, 1.300.000 of which are to be researched), the largest in the world in this specific sector. The database contains information on goods to be searched, both of Italian and foreign origin. The AMOT initiative was established in 2019 from a partnership between the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (USACAPOC - https://www.usar.army.
73 mil/USACAPOC/) and the Smithsonian Institution (https://www.si.edu/) to join forces to protect cultural property in conflict zones and develop a training program for Army Reserve Civil Affairs Soldiers. The training program equips participants with the knowledge and skills required to safeguard priceless artifacts and monuments, ensuring their preservation even in challenging circumstances. It continues the legacy of the World War II Monuments Men and Women, a group of experts who protected cultural treasures during the war, (especially those looted by the Nazis) reflecting the military’s commitment to protecting not only people but also the cultural heritage that enriches our world. The second edition was funded by both Italian funds and the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI - https://2009-2017.state.gov/t/pm/ppa/gpoi/) under the US Department of State’s (https://www.state.gov/) auspices. The course was attended by 29 military and police officers from different countries, including France, Italy, Jordan, Mauritania, the Philippines, Thailand, Togo, Türkiye, and the United States (and five Italian interns from several universities). The course included. • lectures on the history of cultural property law, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and the role of military forces in protecting cultural property; • an overview of Cultural Property Protection in the framework of Stability Policing activities; • an analysis of Cultural Heritage Protection in Operational Theatres, with a specific focus on military problems and issues; • workshops on practical skills for protecting cultural property, such as identifying and assessing cultural property at risk, developing plans for protecting cultural property in times of armed conflict, and implementing effective measures to protect cultural property; • money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the Art and Antiquities Markets; • field exercises in which participants put their skills into practice. These exercises are designed to simulate real-world scenarios in which military forces may be called upon to protect cultural property. At the end of the course, participants were able to identify and assess cultural property at risk, develop plans for protecting cultural property in times of armed conflict, and implement effective measures to protect cultural property. The course was also a valuable opportunity for participants to learn from each other and share best invaluable practices. Such activity highlighted once again the great interest of the Carabinieri and of the CoESPU alike in the subject matter, as confirmed by the International Conference on Cultural Heritage Protection in Crisis Areas that was held from 28th to 29th September in Vicenza, in collaboration with UNESCO, OSCE, NATO, African Union, European Union External Action Service, the Carabinieri Command for the Cultural Heritage Protection, US Army, Multinational CIMIC Group and many prestigious international universities and organizations.
74 COESPU TRAINING CPTM12, STM03, AND TWO FPU PRE-DEPLOYMENT TRAINING COURSES, MOLDOVAN CARABINIERI SEPTEMBER 20TH – OCTOBER 17TH, 2023 12th UN Core Pre-Deployment Training Material course, 3rd Specialized Training Material course and two FPU Pre-Deployment Training courses (ToT and Command Staff), dedicated to personnel coming from the Moldovan Trupele de Carabinieri.
75 TRAINING ACTIVITY FOR LIBYAN BORDER GUARD OFFICERS OCTOBER 4TH – OCTOBER 13TH, 2023 Training Activity in the field of Human Trafficking for Libyan Border Guard Officers.
76 COESPU TRAINING AT17 OCTOBER 16TH – OCTOBER 27TH, 2023 17th Asymmetric Threat course, attended by students from Brazil, France, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, Spain and Tunisia.
77 CPTM13, STM04, MMA01, COP01, AND CB01 NOVEMBER 2ND – NOVEMBER 29TH, 2023 13th UN Core Pre-Deployment Training Material course, 4th Specialized Training Material course, 1st Monitoring, Mentoring & Advising course, 1st Community-Oriented Police course, and 1st Capacity Building course, attended by students from Bangladesh, Jordan, Nepal, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Togo, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam, and two Tutors from Malaysia.
78 COESPU TRAINING TOT CP01 NOVEMBER 13TH – NOVEMBER 17TH, 2023 1st Train-the-Trainers on Child Protection course, in collaboration with the German Federal Foreign Office, attended by students from Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Malawi, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Türkiye, and USA.
79 IMP17 DECEMBER 4TH – DECEMBER 15TH, 2023 17th International MP course, attended by students from Brasil, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, and Tunisia.
80 COESPU TRAINING 10TH FPU COORD WS DECEMBER 1TH – DECEMBER 15TH, 2023 10th Annual FPU Coordinators’ Workshop, dedicated to MINUSCA, MONUSCO, and UNMISS’ officials , at the presence of UN POLAD Faisal Shahkar.
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82 ONSITE VISITS COESPU ONSITE VISITS
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84 ONSITE VISITS LTG (U.S. ARMY) MICHAEL R. FENZEL, U.S. SECURITY COORDINATOR FOR ISRAEL & PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY JULY 6TH, 2023
85 LTG (ITA) RICCARDO GALLETTA, CARABINIERI DEPUTY COMMANDER JULY 27TH, 2023
86 ONSITE VISITS COL. (U.S. ARMY) SCOTT W. HORRIGAN, U.S. ARMY GARRISON ITALY COMMANDER AUGUST 24TH, 2023
87 MR. (ITA) STEFANO TOMAT, EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE CIVILIAN OPERATIONS COMMANDER AUGUST 28TH, 2023
88 ONSITE VISITS MR. JAMES SAENZ, US DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR COUNTERNARCOTICS AND STABILIZATION AUGUST 28TH, 2023
89 H.E. MS. DALIA KREIVIENE, LITHUANIAN AMBASSADOR TO ITALY SEPTEMBER 22ND, 2023
90 ONSITE VISITS MR. COSMIN VICTOR LOTREANU, GENERAL CONSUL OF ROMANIA IN TRIESTE OCTOBER 4TH, 2023
91 COL. (SPA GUARDIA CIVIL) FERNANDO JOSÉ SÁNCHEZ GÓMEZ, CIMIN FINANCIAL BOARD’S CHAIRMAN OCTOBER 5TH, 2023
92 ONSITE VISITS POLICE COMMISSIONER FAISAL SHAHKAR, UN POLICE ADVISER OCTOBER 5TH AND DECEMBER 14TH, 2023
93 MS STACIE BISHOP, MR ANDREW LOOMIS, AND COL MICHAEL SHEKLETON FROM THE US EMBASSY TO ITALY OCTOBER 18TH, 2023
94 ONSITE VISITS SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT KRISTIN KOCH, FBI NOVEMBER 22ND, 2023
95 DR. MICHELE ROMEO JASINSKI, ITALIAN RED CROSS NOVEMBER 23RD, 2023
96 ONSITE VISITS DR. DARIO SALLUSTIO, QUESTORE OF VICENZA NOVEMBER 24TH, 2023
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98 AROUND THE WORLD IN DEPTH AROUND THE WORLD
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100 AROUND THE WORLD IN DEPTH CHIŞINĂU (MOLDOVA) JULY 2023 In Chişinău, a Carabinieri CoESPU’s team assessed the capabilities of Moldavan Trupele de Carabinieri in order to co-design a United Nations Police (UNPOL)-style Formed Police Unit pre-deployment package under the U.S. Department of State GPOI - Global Peace Operations Initiative’s auspices.