Page 238 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

lt. gen. tUllio del sette

Tomasone, and his outstanding chiefs of staff.
At this point I would like to reflect upon something: thanks to a recent

international initiative aimed at protecting our cultural heritage, which arose
thanks to the foresight of the Ministry for Culture and Tourism, and which was
supported by the Prime Minister who then recommended it to the United
Nations – indeed, it was given unanimous approval by UNESCO – the so-cal-
led ‘Blue Helmets of Culture’ were formed. This task force is already operatio-
nal and ready to be deployed, if authorised by the government, wherever
requests for help in safeguarding our cultural heritage might come from, whe-
ther it be the United Nations, UNESCO or individual countries, in cases of
natural disaster, armed conflict or international crisis.

The role of the task force, called by UNESCO ‘Unite4Heritage’, has 60
members of staff, specialist Carabinieri from the Cultural Heritage
Safeguarding Command and experts chosen by the Ministry for Culture and
Tourism, is to enhance the ability of the authorities in other countries to reco-
ver and protect their cultural heritage by supporting the local police, and to
record and make safe archaeological sites and monuments at risk from crimi-
nals or natural disasters.

It represents an initiative which could be replicated, where the opportuni-
ty arises, in the field of environmental protection, and which could also benefit
from the international experience of the Carabinieri in operations and training,
as well as the expertise of the State Forestry Corps.

My appreciation and the appreciation of everyone to the State Forestry
Department led by Doctor Raffaele Manicone who organised the exhibition
entitled ‘A Crime against the Environment is a Crime against Humanity’ in the
School’s academic wing. It showed us the main environmental crimes which our
specialist police forces are called upon to combat with the help of the other
police forces, the institutions of state and the population as a whole.

As I draw to a close, it gives me great pleasure to recall the words of
Achim Steiner, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, who, in the
opening address to the 15th African Ministerial Conference on the
Environment, held in Cairo in March 2015, said, ‘Our work will influence the
future of the generations who come after us. It is a heavy responsibility which

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