< strong > Establish interinstitutional agreement to protect cultural and property < / strong >

A specialized inter-institutional and multidisciplinary agreement to combat illicit traffic in cultural property was established by the Ministries of Culture (MiCultura), Security (MINSEG) and the Office of the Procurator-General and the National Customs Authority.

The date is commemorated to raise awareness among citizens and authorities about the illegal theft, traffic and trade of cultural property that can be committed anywhere in the world and as a result they deprive people of their culture, their identity and their history.

That agreement established the responsibility of the State to protect the heritage of cultural property that existed in its territory, as cultural property was one of the fundamental elements of the cultures of peoples with their true value when their origin, history and environment were best known.

The incumbent of Culture, Giselle González Villarrué, warned that the loss of the heritage and riches of the Panamanian nation is a problem with great dimensions and needs to be addressed comprehensively.

González Villarrué felt that the inter-institutional agreement was the commitment of the state and its citizens to continue to fight this crime together while at the same time emphasizing the importance of international cooperation to address the threat to cultural heritage.

He recalled that more than 343 archaeological pieces have been recouped from low countries and two pieces have been found in Italy.

Meanwhile, the Procurador General de la Nación, Javier Caraballo noted that the research entity felt that it was very important to advance and prosecute the crime related to the illicit acts that represented the theft of property in a coordinated manner among all entities with some degree of responsibility.

Caraballo felt that the interdisciplinary team that has been established will achieve better results through effective and effective investigations into cases that have been generated with respect to the theft of property, while noting that it is not unique to a country as more than 50 property objects have been misappropriated in 130 countries.

For his part, Walter Hernández, representing the Ministry of Security, stated that from an initial stage MINSEG became available for cooperation and to get advice to strengthen its research capabilities and actions that will be coordinated to strengthen the fight against illegal trade in cultural goods.

Sheyla Hernández of the National Customs Authority held that the agreed legal instrument lays down a very important step to work in a coordinated and united manner to combat the traffic in property.

He added that Customs has also established international agreements to combat this illicit and that this experience will be useful to achieve the aims sought by this agreement to protect his cultural heritage.

The signing of this agreement is also an opportunity to conduct a public awareness campaign called "To protect your inheritance, do not let them get your story," which looks for all as citizens to care about our historic memory and to call on the authorities as we see situations that have an impact on our cultural property.