Professor Ryan Rowberry at the 4th Doha Conference on Combating the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property: Crisis Preparedness and Cultural Heritage Protection – Prevention to Recovery.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar is establishing itself as a regional leader in cultural heritage protection, setting the pace for collaboration across the Middle East and North Africa, according to an expert in cultural heritage law.
A Professor of Law at Georgia State University and co-director of its Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth, Professor Ryan Rowberry of Georgia State University in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula hailed Qatar’s role in driving cross-border cooperation on an issue that, he stressed, “does not obey political boundaries.”
“What it really takes is a leader to set the tone and bring people together and that is exactly what Qatar is doing,” he said.
Rowberry addressed the 4th Doha Conference on Combating the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property: Crisis Preparedness and Cultural Heritage Protection – Prevention to Recovery, which concluded recently.
The conference, hosted by Qatar National Library (QNL) in partnership with the US Embassy in Doha, gathered global experts to tackle illicit trafficking, disaster preparedness, and the impacts of climate change on heritage protection. Rowberry commended QNL’s “unbelievably great job” in organising the event, calling such platforms “critical” for exchanging knowledge and developing regional strategies.
Rowberry, who also holds the Janice C. Griffith Chair in Law at Georgia State University and specialises in cultural heritage and environmental law, observed that momentum for heritage protection is growing across the Gulf with Qatar leading the charge.
“By convening experts from across the GCC and beyond, Qatar is shaping a model of collaboration that other countries can follow. That kind of leadership translates directly into stronger regional cooperation.”
“There is a real hunger to protect culture,” he said. “So many museums and initiatives are being developed, and Qatar Museums together with QNL are at the heart of that movement. This breadth of commitment is unusual, and it makes Qatar uniquely positioned to lead the region.”
Now in its fourth edition, the Doha Conference has become an influential platform for international collaboration. Rowberry noted that such efforts are vital as Gulf countries work to protect heritage, develop museums, and prepare for challenges such as looting and climate change.
Emphasising Qatar’s role in driving cooperation across the Gulf region, he said, “Cultural heritage and disaster or looting of historical artefacts often do not obey political boundaries.
And so really what it takes is a leader in a region to set the tone and bring people together. And that is what Qatar National Library did, bringing together people from the GCC region and from abroad to talk about a particular subject. And that kind of leadership translates into regional cooperation.”
This year’s gathering marked the fourth edition of the Doha Conference, which has become a recognised platform for international collaboration. “These kinds of regional collaborations are critical as the Gulf moves forward — dealing with looting, protecting heritage, developing museums, and addressing risks from the sea level rise and climate change. That requires international and regional cooperation, and that’s what they’re putting in place.”
