15th Session of the Committee

From 11-05-2009   to   14-05-2009
 (Paris - France) 

• © MaiLinh Huynh
• The ‘Phar Narai lintel’, returned to Thailand from the United States in 1988.

The fifteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of illicit appropriation took place at UNESCO Headquarters, Fontenoy building, from 11 to 13 May 2009.

In the course of this session, the 22 members of the Committee examined the Secretariat Report on the follow-up to the recommendations adopted at the fourteenth session of the Committee, on the activities carried out since 2007 and on a document presenting strategy proposals for the future work of the Committee.

Moreover, the draft rules of procedure on mediation and conciliation along with comments and amendments of certain States was examined.

1. Statutory documents:

• Statutes of the Committee: EN | FR
• Rules of procedure: EN | FR
• Members of the Committee : EN | FR

2. Working documents:

• Provisional Agenda: EN | FR | ES
• Secretariat Report:  EN | FR | ES | AR | ZH
• Strategy proposal for the future work of the Committee:
  EN | FR | ES | AR | ZH
• "New Developments in the Restitution of Cultural Property: Alternative Means of Dispute Resolution" (summary), by Marie Cornu, Director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Marc-André Renold, Professor at the University of Geneva: EN/FR
• "Diviser c’est détruire: Ethical and legal Rules in the Field of Return of Cultural Properties", by Tullio Scovazzi, Professor of International Law, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy: EN | FR
• "State Ownership of Undiscovered Cultural Objects", by Patrick J. O’Keefe, Honorary Professor, University of Queensland: EN | FR
• "The Drafting of a Uniform Law of the Protection of the Cultural Property", by Jorge Sanchez-Cordero, Professor, Mexican Centre of Uniform Law: EN | FR | ES

• Draft rules of procedure on mediation and conciliation: 
  EN | FR | ES | AR | ZH

3. Meeting results:

• Secretariat Report: EN | FR | ES | RU | AR | ZH 
• Oral Report: EN| ES
• Recommendations: EN | FR
• List of participants:  EN/FR

4. For more information:

• General Information: EN | FR
• Contact: Mr Edouard Planche, Programme Specialist, Division of Cultural Objects and Intangible Cultural Heritage, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France,
  Tel: +33(0)1 45 68 44 04/43 38; Fax: +33(0)1 45 68 55 96