UNESCO's specialized training program, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 5 – 9, 2025

Mladen Pešić, PhD, the director of the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar, will take part in the specialized training program in the framework of the EU-funded project ''Fighting against the illicit trafficking of cultural property in the Western Balkans". 

The event, organized by UNESCO in partnership with the Agency for Education and Professional Training (AEPTM), Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will take place in Mostar from 5 to 9 May 2025.

This initiative seeks to strengthen institutional capacities implementing the Specialized Training Curriculum for Police Forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Combatting the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property Using Technology. 

The programme will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including cultural heritage professionals, members of the judiciary, and law enforcement officials at various levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lecturers will include representatives from leading international organizations such as UNESCO, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, Spanish Guardia Civil, Turkish Police Forces (KOM Cultural Property Central Office), Ministry of Culture and Sport of Spain, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, as well as experts from the region.

Director Pešić will participate with the lecture on Protecting Underwater Cultural Heritage: The Croatian Experience.

The programme, funded by the European Commission (DG NEAR / DG EAC), is implemented by UNESCO through the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (Venice) and its Antenna in Sarajevo. Its inception phase started in June 2020. The initiative aims to foster reconciliation and regional cooperation, reinforcing the protection of cultural heritage and raising awareness about the risks of illicit trafficking.