Re-uniting Pacific treasures

Museums in small islands states in the Pacific face common issues.  These include human resources, risk management, and economic viability of museum management.  Pacific Islands Museum Association (PIMA), a regional organization of museums and cultural centers in the Pacific islands, provides a network and forum for cooperation as reflected in PIMA Strategic Plan (2009-2013).

Fight against Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property

In the Pacific, besides cultural objects housed and exhibited at museums and cultural centers, a large number of cultural objects remain in villages and in the care of creators and original owners.  UNESCO assists national authorities in drafting and updating national policy and legislation on the protection of cultural heritage and the establishment of national inventories, and promotes sharing of good practices in this area. Capacity building of Pacific islands museums, cultural experts and customs officers to prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural properties are supported in cooperation with specialized agencies and experts. 

Further, UNESCO promotes the 1970 UNESCO 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 and Illicitly Exported Cultural Objects through awareness-raising and regional workshops. In August 2015, a Melanesian Workshop on the Fight against the Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu, endorsing the Port Vila Declaration.  The final report of the Workshop is available online.