JEDDAH: Two training schemes aimed at qualifying Saudi specialists in the details of official UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization agreements were recently launched by the Ministry of Culture. The latest courses being offered by the Kingdom, as part of the so-called Experts program on international cultural heritage conventions, will cover the illegal ownership and movement of property and its protection during times of war. Launched in May, the ministry training programs will focus on two tracks, the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. Those taking part in the course relating to the 1970 accord will learn about the basic concepts of the convention, its objectives and principles, and the obligations of party states, while being introduced to the mechanisms and tools used by UNESCO and other organizations to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property, as well as ethical issues linked to the import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural objects. The training will also address the role and capabilities of relevant communities in the protection of cultural items, explain national methods of implementing laws, the importance of inventories, possibilities for recovery, and international cooperation. The program on the 1954 convention will concentrate on its philosophy, historical background, and basic principles, along with aspects related to the development of concepts for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. Ways to improve international cooperation on the implementation of the agreement will be covered too.