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Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property
Combat and prevention of illicit traffic of cultural property
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The UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property is among the conventions that has low rate of ratification from most African countries and specifically Southern Africa. In total 23 African countries has ratified the 1970 Convention and in Southern Africa in particular they are Angola, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Convention encourages the States Parties to recognize that the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin and that international co-operation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country's cultural property against all the dangers resulting there from.
A two days workshop on “Prevention and fight against illicit traffic of cultural goods in Southern African region” was held at Safari Hotel in Windhoek Namibia from 14 to 15 September 2011.The workshop was organized by UNESCO Windhoek and Harare Office in cooperation with the relevant governmental partners in Namibia. The workshop objectives was to take stock of the current situation in the institutional networking in prevention and combat against illicit traffic of cultural goods and define possible way forward in strengthening of both national and sub-regional cooperation in this domain based on the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as well as the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention On Stolen Or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.
Participated countries were the following: Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Experts of INTERPOL of Lyon and UNIDROIT of Rome acted as resource experts.
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The Recovery of Cultural Objects by African States through the UNESCO and UNIDROIT Conventions and the Role of Arbitration Folarin Shyllon
The majority of African countries that could benefit by becoming States Parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property are not States Parties. Since the Convention came into force on 24 April 1972, there have been only twenty African States Parties. Similarly, the majority of African States were absent from the full diplomatic Conference which, in Rome, adopted the text of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects in June 1995. Thirteen African countries sent representatives and one sent an observer. The Convention entered into force on 1 July 1998 between China, Ecuador, Lithuania, Paraguay and Romania. Seven other nations including Italy have joined the Convention. Not a single African country is a State Party, although Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal and Zambia are signatories to the Convention. More |
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Building a Regional Heritage Network SADC Association of Museums and Monuments
Presentation made at the UNESCO Workshop on Prevention and Fight Against Illicit Traffic of Cultural Goods in Southern African Region More |
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