A new international body mandated to gather "intelligence" about the illicit sale of historical objects is set to be established, NBC News reported. Tentatively called the International Observatory on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods, the new body will establish "best practices" to combat the smuggling of art and antiquities by creating a database of publicly available information to improve monitoring and research. According to Noah Charney, founding director of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, art and antiquities smuggling was an "inherently international type of crime," that required a better global response. The new body would also attempt to improve cooperation between global policing body Interpol and law enforcement agencies, the United Nations world cultural body UNESCO, and research institutions. France-based International Council of Museums is behind the new intelligence body, but is waiting for the European Commission to grant formal funding approval.
