Forums of Ministers

The most significant feature of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is that it links together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties.

The 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict  is the first international treaty with a world-wide vocation focusing exclusively on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict.

The 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property provides a common framework on the measures to be taken to prohibit and prevent illicit trafficking.

The 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage enables States to better identify, research and protect their underwater cultural heritage, assuring its preservation and sustainability for present and future generations.

The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage protects traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants [...]

As cultural and creative industries' transformative power has been increasingly recognized, the adoption of the 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was a milestone in international cultural policy.