Periodic Reporting
In accordance with Article 26 of the 1954 Hague Convention, the High Contracting Parties, at least once every four years, shall forward to the Director-General of UNESCO a report giving whatever information they think suitable concerning any measures being taken, prepared or contemplated by their respective administrations in fulfillment of the 1954 Hague Convention and of the Regulations for its execution.
A similar obligation is also stipulated under Article 37 of the 1999 Second Protocol. While reports concerning the implementation of the Convention are addressed to the Director-General, periodic reports on the Second Protocol are addressed to the Committee through the Secretariat.
In accordance with the Guidelines for the Implementation of the 1999 Second Protocol, States Parties to the 1999 Second Protocol are encouraged to submit their reports on the implementation of the Second Protocol together with their report on the implementation of the Convention. The periodic reports must include information on the legal, administrative and practical implementation measures adopted by the States Parties.
To facilitate the submission of the periodic reports, the Secretariat has prepared an electronic form for the submission of national reports. National reports are submitted every four years by national authorities. In practice, the Secretariat dispatched an official letter to all High Contracting Parties asking them to submit their national report.
Please consult previous periodic reports for the following cycles :
The national reports constitute fundamental documents. On the one hand, they allow the High Contracting Parties to assess the practices that they are initiating to implement this treaty instrument as optimally as possible. In this respect, the national reports and the document summarising national reports produced by the Secretariat constitute a collection of best practices that are particularly useful for the purposes of inspiring national actors in making decisions (administrative, practical, and legal) relative to the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. On the other hand, the national reports and the summary document also allow the Committee established by the 1999 Second Protocol to exercise one of the key responsibilities expressly conferred thereon by the 1999 Second Protocol, namely to: "[…] comment on reports of the Parties, to seek clarifications as required, and prepare its own report on the implementation of this Protocol for the Meeting of the Parties".
