Campaign on the streets of Santiago, Chile calls to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property

UNESCO launched in Santiago, Chile the global campaign "Protect Our Shared Heritage", an initiative developed in partnership with the outdoor advertising company JCDecaux and Chile's National Cultural Heritage Service. The campaign aims to raise public awareness about the urgency of combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property and to strengthen public understanding of the importance of protecting cultural heritage.

The campaign is displayed in different public spaces across Santiago, where informational materials installed at bus stops and urban displays bring this message to thousands of people who move through the city every day. Through these interventions, the initiative seeks to remind the public that the illicit trafficking of cultural property is a global problem that affects the memory, identity and history of peoples.

"Every heritage object tells a story and forms part of the collective memory of societies. When a cultural object is looted or trafficked, it is not only a material piece that is lost, but also part of the history and identity of a community. This is why it is essential to strengthen public awareness about the importance of protecting our cultural heritage," said Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago.

The initiative is framed within UNESCO's 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the main international instrument that establishes the legal framework to prevent and combat the illegal trade in cultural property. Ratified by 149 countries, the treaty promotes international cooperation, the strengthening of national legislation, the restitution of heritage objects and public awareness as key elements in addressing this phenomenon. Chile has been a party to this Convention since 2014.

Several thefts of cultural property reported by the State of Chile to UNESCO in recent years highlight the vulnerability of heritage and the need to strengthen public awareness regarding illicit trafficking. Among the most recent cases is the theft, in January 2026, of five eighteenth-century silver liturgical objects-including candlesticks and a reliquary-stolen from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago. These pieces, of high historical and religious value, were crafted by Jesuit and local artisans. Other previously reported cases include the theft in June 2022 of more than 80 pre-Columbian gold objects from the Andean Museum in Buin; the theft in 2017 of 14 containers holding boxes of whale fossils; and the theft in 2016 of a sword from the National Historical Museum in Santiago. These incidents illustrate how illicit trafficking can affect museums, religious sites and scientific collections, putting collective memory at risk and underscoring the importance of public awareness and active participation in protecting cultural heritage.