Open for Registration: Asia-Pacific Regional Conference to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the UNESCO 1970 Convention, 29–30 June 2021
The UNESCO Office in Bangkok, the 1970 Convention Secretariat in Paris and Thailand Ministry of Culture are jointly organizing an Asia-Pacific Regional Conference from 29 to 30 June 2021 in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
The Asia-Pacific Regional Conference will take stock of the region’s achievements to date and collectively debate and identify a set of regional priorities. This conference will include a series of panels focusing on key themes concerning the implementation of the historic 1970 convention, including national legislation and administrative structures, capacity-building, cross-sectoral cooperation, law enforcement, international cooperation and mechanisms, return and restitution, and engagement with partners. The Regional Conference will aim to inform senior officials of national and local governments across the various sectors (culture, law enforcement, foreign affairs, trade, tourism, etc.); national and international institutions; professionals and experts; representatives of both the private sector and civil society; and cultural leaders among additional stakeholders.
About
The Asia-Pacific region represents one of the lowest ratification rates (48%) to the 1970 Convention. The region nevertheless provides fertile ground for the illicit trafficking of cultural property due to its rich cultural heritage, its emerging role in the global art market, and its ready accessibility to a number of global hubs. At the same time, individual countries in the region are waging great efforts in the fight against illicit trafficking, especially in regard to the return and restitution of cultural property. Their respective experiences can potentially provide great examples for others to learn from. Challenges currently being faced, good practices and lessons learned, and (sub) regional priorities all merit greater attention both regionally and internationally, their collective analyses promising to raise global awareness and foster broader consensus on what may constitute ‘best practices’ for combatting illicit trafficking.
The Asia-Pacific Regional Conference aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Identify key challenges in fighting illicit trafficking of cultural property in the region;
- Identify current obstacles to the ratification of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects;
- Exchange best practices for fighting illicit trafficking and implementing the Conventions;
- Promote stronger regional and sub-regional cooperation for fighting illicit trafficking of cultural property and implementing the Conventions.
At the end of the Regional Conference, the participants will collectively arrive at a list of findings and best practices and recommendations, which will accompany a larger report to be presented at the upcoming International Conference “The fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property: towards a reinforced global dialogue”, in continued celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the UNESCO 1970 Convention (tentatively scheduled for September 2021).
When and where?
Date: 29-30 June 2021
Time: 10:00–14:00 Bangkok time (GMT +7)
The Conference will be organized online from Bangkok via Zoom, in English.
How to join the conference?
You can join this conference by registering in advance via Zoom. The full programme will be available soon on this page.
Resources
Day 1 (29 June 2021)
Day 2 (30 June 2021)
For media inquiries, please contact:
Gregory Galligan
Media Officer
UNESCO Bangkok
Email: g.galligan@unesco.org
For other inquiries, please contact: Culture Unit, UNESCO Bangkok Office at culture.bgk@unesco.org.
Main photo credit: Shutterstock.com/© GOLFX)
