Paris, November 13 (No.2000-116)- The 30th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) - the first global legal instrument for the protection of cultural heritage from theft and pillaging - will be celebrated on November 15 at Organization Headquarters.

Ratified by 91 states to date, the 1970 Convention concerns the protection of property "designated by the state parties as important for their archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science." Its adoption, by UNESCO's General Conference of Member States on November 14, 1970, marked a major step towards the recognition of the fact that cultural property cannot be regarded as an ordinary commodity.

The day-long anniversary celebration will feature addresses by speakers from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Australia, France and Italy, including the head of the Italian artistic heritage police, who will take stock of the situation. The problem of trafficking remains serious, and, according to INTERPOL, only five to ten percent of all stolen cultural property is ever recovered. Speakers will discuss the legal response of the Convention, as well as the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.

Representatives of INTERPOL, the French Stolen Art Items Central Office (OCBC), the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the co-ordinator of the project "Object-ID" will consider practical measures to implement the Conventions, such as the establishment of inventories and training of police services. The day will close with a formal ceremony, starting at 6 p.m., in the presence of senior government representatives and Ambassadors of UNESCO Member States.

The Convention also recognises that cultural property "constitutes one of the basic elements of civilization and national culture, and that its true value can be appreciated only in relation to the fullest possible information regarding its origin, history and traditional setting."

Equally important is the recognition that "it is essential for every State to become increasingly alive to the moral obligations to respect its own cultural heritage and that of all nations."

Speaking about the importance of the Convention, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura declared: "The Convention is an invaluable instrument for heritage protection. It lays the ground for international co-operation which is indispensable for preservation. As we celebrate this anniversary, we must reinforce our efforts to mobilise the widest support possible from both governments and civil society to see the Convention fully implemented."

Despite successes achieved over the past thirty years in protecting cultural objects from theft and returning stolen properties to their countries of origin, it has not been possible to end illicit trafficking which is responsible for serious damage to cultural heritage world-wide. As long as people are prepared to turn a blind eye to the origins of the artefacts they buy and sell, there will be individuals ready to seek to profit from the fact that conflict, political instability and corruption in many parts of the world provide them with opportunities to lay their hands on collectibles which they can sell for a large profit abroad. Much work remains to be done to sensitise governments, public opinion, art collectors and dealers about the need to respect the original context of cultural property. UNESCO is using the anniversary celebration to launch an awareness-raising campaign on the need to protect cultural heritage from theft, clandestine excavation and illicit trade.

UNESCO has been working consistently on the implementation of the Convention with a large number of national and international organisations, including INTERPOL and the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) which in 1995 adopted the Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. UNESCO also operates a permanent body to study and mediate in the return of properties, the 22-member Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitutiton in Case of Illicit Apropriation which was created in 1978 and meets every two years.

The 30th anniversary celebration will also mark the launch of an International Code of Ethics for Dealers in Cultural Property which was approved by UNESCO's supreme governing body, the General Conference, in November 1999. Dealers who adopt the Code undertake not to trade in objects which might be stolen, clandestinely excavated or illegally exported and to co-operate in their return. The Code helps dealers distance themselves from those who make no inquiry into provenance of objects they buy and sell or who even knowingly instigate illegal acquisitions. It also gives collectors who are concerned about the fate of the culture they are attracted to the possibility of showing their preference for the legal over the illegal trade. It is part of UNESCO's endeavour to promote international ethical standards to prevent damage to the cultural heritage by the illicit trade.

As part of its awareness-raising campaign on the need to protect cultural heritage, UNESCO has produced an information kit. It features a series of postcards of stolen cultural objects. UNESCO hopes to use such postcards as the basis of a large-scale campaign illustrating the splendours of the cultural heritage of humanity and the necessity to stop trafficking in these artefacts, but also to help identify and recover missing objects.

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