Return or Restitution of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 43 Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin, published in 2003.

What other versions does this mandate have?

18 versions · 1979–2024

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/79/133

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2024	A/RES/79/133	Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin	5,877	81%Compare
2021	A/RES/76/16	Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin	4,811	83%Compare
2018	A/RES/73/130	Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin	4,194	72%Compare
2015	A/RES/70/76	Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin	3,423	58%Compare
2013	A/RES/67/80	Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin	2,793	51%Compare

What’s in this document?

17 operative paragraphs

Commends the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation on the work they have accomplished, in particular through the promotion of bilateral negotiations, for the return or restitution of cultural property, the preparation of inventories of movable cultural property and the implementation of the Object-ID standard related thereto, as well as for the reduction of illicit traffic in cultural property and the dissemination of information to the public;

Calls upon all relevant bodies, agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system and other relevant intergovernmental organizations to work in coordination with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, within their mandates and in cooperation with Member States, in order to continue to address the issue of return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin and to provide appropriate support accordingly;

Welcomes the adoption of the Declaration concerning the Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage, adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 17 October 2003;

Reaffirms the importance of the principles and provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,1 and invites Member States that have not already done so to become parties to the Convention and to promote its implementation;

Also reaffirms the importance of the Second Protocol to the Convention, adopted at The Hague on 26 March 1999, and invites all States Parties to the Convention to consider becoming parties to the Second Protocol;

Welcomes the most recent efforts made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the protection of the cultural heritage of countries in conflict, including the safe return to those countries of cultural property and other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance that have been illegally removed, and calls upon the international community to contribute to these efforts;

Invites Member States to consider adopting and implementing the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property;2

Urges Member States to introduce effective national and international measures to prevent and combat illicit trafficking in cultural property, including special training for police, customs and border services;

Reaffirms the importance of the provisions of the Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law,4 and invites Member States that have not already done so to consider becoming parties to it;

Invites Member States, in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to continue to draw up systematic inventories of their cultural property, as well as to work towards the creation of a database of the cultural legislation of Member States, in particular in an electronic form;

Reaffirms the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to promote the use of identification systems, in particular the application of the Object-ID standard, and to encourage the linking of identification systems and existing databases, including the one developed by the International Criminal Police Organization-Interpol, to allow for the electronic transmission of information in order to reduce illicit trafficking in cultural property, and encourages the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to make further efforts in this regard in cooperation with Member States, where appropriate;

Recognizes the public awareness and increased mobilization and action in favour of heritage values that was achieved in 2002, the United Nations Year for Cultural Heritage, and calls upon the international community and the United Nations to continue to cooperate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on the basis of that work;

Welcomes the adoption of the International Code of Ethics for Dealers in Cultural Property by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 16 November 1999,⁹ and invites those who deal with trade in cultural property and their associations, where they exist, to encourage the implementation of the Code;

⁹See United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference, Thirtieth Session, Paris, 26 October-17 November 1999, vol. 1: Resolutions.

Recognizes the importance of the creation, by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, of the International Fund for the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation, launched in November 2000, and encourages the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to promote the Fund and render it operational;

Requests the Secretary-General to cooperate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its efforts to bring about the attainment of the objectives of the present resolution;

Also requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to submit to the General Assembly at its sixtieth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixtieth session the item entitled “Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin”.

Return or Restitution of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

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What’s in this document?

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