Silvio Mele, EUAM Iraq’s Senior Strategic Adviser on the Protection of Cultural Heritage comes from Northern Italy and joined the mission from the Torino Carabinieri - a military force and a branch of the Italian policing system. Being a police officer is a family tradition for Silvio as his grandfather, father as well as his brother have all served as Carabieni officers.

Silvio started his professional career after a Master’s degree in law, graduating with a thesis on the rule of law in Ancient Rome. History and the arts have always been his cup of tea. While performing his police career, Silvio also enrolled in a training programme in the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Crisis Response and Homeland Security.  

Silvio started acquiring international experiences in 2012, while carrying out military duties as Provost Marshall in a Multinational Battlegroup in Peć, Kosovo, and then in 2016 as a Staff Officer – Head of Operations – within the Multinational Specialized Unit in Pristina. His experience in Iraq – the best he has ever had – goes back to 2019 when Silvio was employed as a police trainer in the field of cultural heritage protection in Baghdad. Being in the cradle of the western civilization and meeting so many police officers devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage was a dream come true and allowed for many lessons to be learnt. 

Tell us about your daily work?

I am a Senior Strategic Adviser on the Protection of Cultural Heritage. EUAM Iraq is the first and only common security and defence policy (CSDP) mission with a particular focus on this topic. We address this situation from a police perspective because we firmly believe that the looting, smuggling and illegal trafficking of artworks are the most profitable financing methods of Organised Crime, especially here in Iraq. Therefore, my job is primarily concerned with advising all Iraqi institutions and other relevant stakeholders on protecting cultural property and promoting the respect for culture in all its forms. We organise workshops and meetings, thereby leading different institutions like the Ministries of Interior, Culture, and Education to cooperate and collaborate in this field.

How do you find yourself working with colleagues from many different backgrounds?

This is the most exciting part of the job. The ultimate strength of the CSDP missions is that every single mission member brings with them their own national background as well as their own unique personal and professional experience. Working as a team, we can take advantage of this impressive wide variety of different perspectives in the problem-solving process.  

What has been the most rewarding or memorable experience for you in the Mission so far?

Recently, an important exponent of the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities expressed his personal appreciation for our commitment, as police officers, to consider the protection of Iraqi cultural heritage as an essential vehicle for peacebuilding, mutual understanding and reconciliation. I felt encouraged by that appreciation.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I would live wherever my family is. 

What is something your colleagues don’t know about you?

I was really into sports when I was young.

What was the last gift you received?

We celebrated my birthday last month and I really appreciated the little gifts my dear colleagues gave me! Some gifts had been brought from their home countries, others had been handmade by them. It was really touching! I felt as if I was not that far from home.  

What is your usual order at a restaurant?

What kind of question is that! Only typical Iraqi dishes! 

How do you relax?

I like watching old black-and-white movies - the kind of films where dialogues, words and feelings were much more important than the modern action and visual effects.