Conferences and Seminars 2017
WORKSHOP ON COUNTERING ILLICIT TRAFFICKING OF CULTURAL PROPERTY
On 17-20 December 2017, Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer, actively participated in the workshop “Countering illicit trafficking of cultural property” jointly organised by UNESCO and the Italian Carabinieri in Amman, Jordan.
On that occasion, Ms Schneider discussed the accession procedure to the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and main concerns from the Arab States concerning the accesion.
Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer, took part in the UNESCO Workshopon the Fight against Illicit Traffic of Cultural Property (Convention of 1970), held at Cairo from 10 to 14 December 2017, for Egypt and Sudan. In her address, Ms Schneider considered the benefits for the Arab Region resulting from the ratification of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.
UNIDROIT IS GLAD TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF THE 1995 UNIDROIT CONVENTION ACADEMIC PROJECT (UCAP)
We all recognise that education is a key tool in protecting cultural property and combating illicit traffic and UCAP is meant to increase the awareness and knowledge about the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. It aims at promoting and linking pertinent national and international research made by entities and Universities holding courses in the field of cultural heritage law, with a particular focus on the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention. It also wishes to promote the development of specific programs or modules.
-> Click here to learn more.
G7 ROMA-LYON GROUP – AD HOC EXPERT MEETING
On 3 October 2017, UNIDROIT was invited to participate in the G7 Roma-Lyon Group – Ad Hoc Expert Meeting on “Cultural Heritage, the Mirror of Identity: Cataloguing, collecting and sharing data, the key for safeguard”, organised by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) in Rome. Representatives from the G7 countries, UN Monitoring-Team, UNESCO, INTERPOL, ICOM and ICCROM also attended the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was to gather experts from various fields in order to testify their experience on the topic and imagine future steps to take in order to fight, on a global scale, destruction, looting and illicit trade of cultural heritage.
Shot of the podium
STRENGTHENING SYNERGIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN EASTERN AFRICA AND THE ADJACENT INDIAN OCEAN ISLAND STATES
On 20 July 2017 in Balaclava, Republic of Mauritius, Ministers responsible for culture in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Somalia and South Sudan issued a Joint Statement on Strengthening Synergies for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Eastern Africa and the adjacent Indian Ocean Island States. The Statement is built on 10 recommendations from a Regional Conference and Ministerial Roundtable on the protection of Cultural Heritage, organised by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, on 18-19 July 2017.
Experts from UNIDROIT, the International Committee of the Red Cross, INTERPOL, the International Council of Museums, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the African World Heritage Fund, the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa were among the UNESCO partner organizations participating in the conference and sharing their expertise and resources.
>>> More information
Shot of the participants at the Opening Ceremony of the Regional Conference in Mauritius
GENEVA SUMMER SCHOOL
On 14 June 2017, Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer, gave a lecture to the students of the Geneva Summer School of International Cultural Heritage Law – University of Geneva on the weaknesses of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention and UNESCO-UNIDROIT Model Provisions on State Ownership of Undiscovered Cultural Objects.
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On 15-19 May 2017, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer and Treaty Depositary Ms Marina Schneider participated in the Fourth Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and in the Fifth Session of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
Click here for more information about the 4th Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 Convention.
UNESCO WORKSHOP ON THE ETHICS OF COLLECTIONS AND FIGHT AGAINST ILLICIT TRAFFIC OF CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE GCC
Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer and Treaty Depositary, took part to a three-day workshop on the ethics of collections and fight against illicit traffic of cultural heritage in the GCC, organised by UNESCO and the Tourism and Culture Authority of the UAE, in Abu Dhabi (UAE) from 2 to 4 April 2017.
The workshop is part of UNESCO’s capacity building initiatives and it is the first workshop of its kind in the region bringing together representatives of culture authorities from the GCC, public and private museums, collectors and auction houses as well as experts from institutions such as UNESCO, INTERPOL, WCO-OMD, ICOM, UNODC.
>>> More information
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Shot of the participants to the Workshop. |
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Group Photo of Workshop participants. |
THE FIRST G7 CULTURE MEETING
On 30-31 March 2017, UNIDROIT was invited to take part to the first G7 Culture meeting in the history of G7, hosted by Italy in Florence.
The Ministerial meeting attended by Prof. Anna Veneziano, Deputy Secretary general of UNIDROIT, was preceded by a technical meeting on challenges and opportunities of the existing legal framework, best strategies and preventive measures for safeguarding cultural property from illicit trafficking, and awareness-raising and education’s improvement to which UNIDROIT contributed.
The Declaration signed by the seven Ministers of Culture urges States to strengthen safeguarding and preservation of cultural heritage, to identify and share appropriate best practices for fighting every form of illegal activity in this field, as well as to ratify the existing relevant Conventions against trafficking in cultural property such as the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.
Joint Declaration of the Ministers of Culture of G7.
Shot of the conference room.
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS: HISTORICAL AND LEGAL PERSPECTIVES
On 16-17 March 2017, UNIDROIT hosted a two-day conference on: “Private Collections: Historical and Legal Perspectives” in collaboration with the International Society for Research and Cultural Heritage (ISCHAL), Institut des sciences sociales du politique (ISP), BonelliErede law firm, Institut – Droit Ethique – Patrimoine (IDEP), Institut d’études de droit public (IEDP), Università degli Studi di Milano and Université des Etudes de Genève.
>>> Programme
INTERPOL FORUM: “UNITY FOR SECURITY”
Between 28 and 30 March 2017, Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer and Treaty Depositary, participated in the work of INTERPOL’s forum “Unity For Security”, held in Abu Dhabi and organised in partnership with the United Arab Emirates and the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World, under the patronage of his Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.
The forum brought together Ministers with responsibility for security portfolios, senior police officials, representatives from the private sector as well as experts to collectively address common issues and to identify their responsibility in implementing a global policing architecture to combat future threats.
>>> More information
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Ms Marina Schneider,
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PROMOTING AND STRENGTHENING THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE – THE 1995 CONVENTION. NEW YORK, UN HEADQUARTERS, 28 FEBRUARY 2017.
The special event on “Promoting and strengthening the international legal framework for the protection of cultural heritage” took place on Tuesday, 28 February 2017, at the UN HQ, co-organized by the Missions of Cyprus and Italy to the UN and by UNIDROIT.
During the event, UNIDROIT and the Missions of Cyprus and Italy to the UN announced the establishment of an informal Task Force, open to all States wishing to participate, aimed at the promotion of the wider ratification of the 1995 UNDIROIT Convention. The Task Force will be coordinated by UNIDROIT, assisted by the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention Academic Project which will be launched soon, and will convene on an annual basis in New York, in order to provide a platform for the exchange of views on issues such as the state of ratifications of the UNIDROIT 1995 Convention, for the promotion of activities aimed at awareness, information and best practices sharing, and for training and education to assist on the accession, ratification and implementation of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention.
• Summary • Save the date • Concept note • Programme
Shot of the seated audience.
After the UNESCO office in Iraq has led a rapid assessment mission to the Nimrud archaeological site, Iraq, on 14 December 2016 to assess the extent of damage resulting from the deliberate destruction by ISIL/Daesh over the past 2 years, actions for the safeguarding and longer-term recovery of the site were presented by UNESCO and discussed with key national and international partners and stakeholders, including UNIDROIT, at an International Coordination Meeting on the Cultural Heritage in the Liberated Areas of Iraq held at UNESCO HQ, Paris, on 23-24 February 2017.
More information
UNESCO Director-General Ms Irina Bokova addressing the audience.
MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON OFFENCES RELATING TO CULTURAL PROPERTY
On 20-24 February 2017, the Council of Europe hosts the 4th and conclusive Plenary Meeting for the drafting of the new criminal law Convention aimed at combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property.
Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer, contributed to the work of the Committee on Offences relating to Cultural Property (PC-IBC).
Shot of the conference room
On 8-9 February, UNIDROIT took part in the two-day conference: “Law Enforcement Authorities and Expertise Competent in the Field of Cultural Goods”. The meeting aimed to take forward actions listed under the EU CULTNET mandate to increase effectiveness of prevention and combating crime against cultural goods on a number of levels, in line with the work programme set out for the year 2017 and within the framework of the Council of the European Union REGULATION doc. No. 14232/12 of 04/10/2012.
Ms Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer, also had a meeting with Hon. Dr. Owen Bonnici, Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government, Dr. Peter Grech, Attorney General, Ms Catherine Tabone, Director-Culture and Mr Nathaniel Cutajar, Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
More info
EU CULTNET
Corrado Catesi, Director, Works of Art Section, INTERPOL giving his speech.
ROUNDTABLE ON POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION OF HISTORIC CITIES (LENS, 20-21 JANUARY 2017)
In conjunction with the exhibition “History begins in Mesopotamia” on view until 23 January 2017, and in response to current events in the Middle East, the Louvre-Lens Museum and ICCROM, through its ICCROM-ATHAR Regional Conservation Centre in the UAE, are organising a two-day round-table dedicated to the post-conflict reconstruction of historic cities.
This event, which will take place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 January 2017 in Lens, aims to bring together international specialists who will address existing cases and develop on the reflections from previous symposia with regards to historic cities affected by war and the process of reconstruction that takes place once the conflict is over.
The first day will be organised around four roundtables: Reflections on Post-conflict Reconstruction; Implementation of International Organisations; Regional Case Studies (France, Poland, Germany, Bosnia); Case Studies from the Middle East (Beirut and Aleppo). This first day will conclude with a summary of that day’s accomplishments. The second day will focus on the role of development agencies in the reconstruction process.
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COUNCIL OF EUROPE COLLOQUY ON PROTECTING CULTURAL HERITAGE FROM DESTRUCTION AND TRAFFICKING (STRASBOURG, 13 JANUARY 2017)
On 13 January, high-level representatives from international organisations and national governments, as well as academic experts, will gather in Strasbourg for a colloquium aimed at strengthening cooperation to protect cultural heritage from wanton destruction and preventing the illicit trafficking of cultural goods.
Organised jointly by the Cypriot chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers and its Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, the event will focus on the illicit excavation, sale and acquisition of cultural property, which has become a lucrative trade often linked to cross-border organised crime and terrorism.
Keynote speakers include Ioannis Kasoulides, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO and Mammoun Abdulkarim, the Director-General of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums in Syria and Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Also addressing the event are Hans-Holger Herrnfeld, Chair of the Committee on Offences relating to Cultural Heritage, and Anna Veneziano, the Deputy Secretary-General of UNIDROIT.
The Council of Europe is currently preparing a new Convention on Offences related to Cultural Property, which will become the only international treaty focusing on criminal measures and sanctions on illicit activities in the field of cultural heritage.
Conferences and Seminars 2016
Beirut, Lebanon: on 14 and 15 December 2016, Ms. Marina Schneider, UNIDROIT Senior Legal Officer and Treaty Depositary, participated in the Conference to Assess the Implementation of UNSC Resolution 2911/2015 for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Middle East with delegations from Iraq and Syria, the latter chaired by Prof. Dr. Maamoun Abdelkarim, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums (DGAM).
The Conference set goals in the fight against illicit trafficking of Syrian and Iraqi cultural property. The experts present at the meeting emphasized the importance of having specialised police units and national databases on stolen objects connected to the INTERPOL database. The strengthening of domestic legislations to compel with the provisions of major international conventions in the field, such as UNESCO and UNIDROIT Conventions was also discussed.
Shot of the seated audience
Conferences and Seminars 2015
International Conference on “the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects: 20 Years Later”, Rome, 8 May 2015.
>>> Programme
Videos:
- Opening session and Session 1
- Session 2
- Session 2 (cont.) and Session 3
- Round table on due diligence
- Workshop titled “Moving SADC forward by combating the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural and Natural Heritage in Southern Africa”, organized by the Southern African Development Community Heritage Association (SADCHA), Gaborone, March 2015. More information.
- High Level Meeting on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2199 and the Safeguarding of Iraqi and Syrian Cultural Heritage, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, April 2015. Security Council Resolution 2199. More information.
- Regional Workshop to Train Instructors to Combat Trafficking in Cultural Property, organized by the UNESCO Office in Rabat (Cluster Office to Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia), the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID), and the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, Meknes, April 2015. Press release (in French).
- Conference entitled “The 1995 Unidroit Convention Twenty Years after Its Adoption: The Mediterranean as a Testing Ground”, organized by the “Jean Monnet” Department of Political Science of the University of Naples, Unidroit, and SIOI (Società Italiana per l’Organizzazione Internationale), under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Italy’s membership in the United Nations, Rome, May 2015. Agenda.
- Cairo Conference, “Cultural Property under Threat: The Cultural, Economic and Security Impact of Antiquities Theft in the Middle East”, organized by the Antiquities Coalition, Cairo, May 2015. Declaration. Press release.
- Twelfth Meeting of the INTERPOL Experts Group (IEG) on Stolen Cultural Property, INTERPOL General Secretariat Headquarters, Lyon, June 2015.
- Roundtable Meeting, Ulaanbaatar, June 2015.
Conferences and Seminars 2014
- Third Meeting of the expert group on protection against trafficking in cultural property, participation by Unidroit & United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna, January 2014. Report. All documents.
- Eleventh Meeting of the INTERPOL Expert Group (IEG) on Stolen Cultural Property, Lyon, February 2014. Conclusions.
- Colloquium on “The proposals of recast of the European Directive on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a Member State – the co-operation with UNESCO and Unidroit”, organized by the Permanent Representation of Greece to UNESCO, in the framework of the Greek EU Presidency, Paris, March 2014.
- Introductory workshop on prevention and the fight against the illicit traffic of cultural property, organized by UNESCO & Unidroit, Cairo, March-April 2014. Agenda. More information.
- Course 2014/20 “Theft of Cultural Heritage/Artwork”, organized by CEPOL, Rome, April 2014. More information.
- Twenty-third Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, Vienna, May 2014. Report.
- Training workshop “Building capacities and raising awareness on the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural objects”, invited by Government of Oman, Muscat, May 2014. More information.
- International expert meeting, “Rallying the International Community to Safeguard Syria’s Cultural Heritage”, collaboration between Unidroit & UNESCO, in the framework of the project Emergency Safeguarding of the Syrian Cultural Heritage, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, May 2014. More information.
- Fourth International Conference of Experts on the Return of Cultural Property, organized by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China, Dunhuang, China, September 2014. More information.
- Training workshop on the Fight against the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property for policemen and judges from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, collaboration between Unidroit and the Department of Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (CC TPC), October 2014.
- Training to fight illicit trafficking of Syrian cultural property, also in the framework of the project Emergency Safeguarding of the Syrian Cultural Heritage, organized by Unidroit & UNESCO, Beirut, November 2014. Programme. Concept Note. More information.
- Sub-regional Symposium for the Fight against Illicit Traffic of Cultural Heritage in South-East Asia, collaboration between Unidroit & UNESCO, Bangkok, November 2014. Agenda. More information.
Conferences and Seminars 2013
- Regional training on Syrian Cultural Heritage: addressing the issue of illicit trafficking (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) organised by UNESCO, Amman, February 2013. Report: Recommendations
- Workshop Building capacities and raising awareness on the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural objects, organised by the Omani authorities and UNESCO, Masqat, Oman, February 2013.
- Symposium on the Unidroit Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and the Protection on Cultural Heritage, organised by the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, March 2013. Programme
- Mexican Seminar – The Globalization of the Protection of Cultural Heritage – The 1970 Convention: New Challenges, organized under the patronage of UNESCO and sponsored by Unidroit, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Association of Legal Sciences, the Instituto de Investigaciones Juridicas de la UNAM and the Mexican Center of Uniform Law, Mexico City, March 2013.
- Prevention and fight against illicit trafficking of Libyan cultural property – Introductory national workshop, organised by UNESCO and the Libyan authorities, Tripoli, April 2013. Programme. Closing Programme. Report: Recommendations
- Training course on the 1995 Unidroit Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects to civil servants from Mongolia, organised by the Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale, Rome, April 2013.
- International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy (Session on Italy’s actions and proposals to fight against illicit traffic in cultural objects), organised by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy and the Società Dante Alighieri, Rome, June 2013.
- Extraordinary Meeting of States Parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, Paris, UNESCO HQ, July 2013. Programme. Resolutions
- First session of the Subsidiary Committee of States Parties to the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (UNESCO, Paris, 1970), Paris, UNESCO Headquarters, July 2013. Programme. Recommendations
- Working Meeting on Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property Stolen in Central and Eastern Europe, organised by INTERPOL, Riga, October 2013.
- Third International Conference of Experts on the Return of Cultural Property, organised by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, Ancient Olympia, October 2013.
- Regional Training Workshop on the fight against trafficking in cultural property for Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, organised by UNESCO, Rabat, Morocco, November 2013.
- International Conference on Protecting Cultural Heritage as a Common Good of Humanity. A Challenge for Criminal Justice, at the initiative of the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme – ISPAC, the Fondazione Centro Nazionale di Prevenzione e Difesa Sociale – CNPDS and the Fondazione Courmayeur, in co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – UNODC, Courmayeur, December 2013.
Conferences and Seminars 2012
- International Conference on the retrieval of cultural objects, organised by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, Riyad, February 2012.
- International Conference on “Cross Border Movements of Cultural Goods” organised by the Hellenic Society for Law and Archaeology in collaboration with the Institut für Kunst und Recht (IFKUR), Athens, 19 May 2012.
- 2ndOpen-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on the Protection against Trafficking in Cultural Property, organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Vienna, 27-29 June 2012.
- 1stmeeting of the special committee to review the practical operation of the 1995 Unidroit Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, Paris (UNESCO’s Headquarters), 19 June 2012.
- 2ndConference of States Parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, Paris (UNESCO’s Headquarters), 20 and 21 June 2012. Provisional Agenda. Proposals.
- 18thsession of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation,– Paris, 22 June 2012.
- Regional Workshop (capacity buildingpolice and customs, local heritage managers, inventory development) for Western African countries organised by UNESCO, Dakar, September 2012. Recommendations.
- Regional Workshop for central American countries and the Andean region (analysis of legislations; proposals for joint actions at legal, police and customs level; emphasis on archaeological and religious objects) organised by UNESCO, Lima, October 2012. Programme. Recommendations.
- Regional Workshop on Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods in Southern Africa (follow-up of the workshop in Namibia in 2011) organised by UNESCO, Botswana, November 2012. Programme.
- Regional Training Workshop on Fight against Illicit Traffic in Cultural Objects in South East Europe organised by UNESCO, Gaziantep, Turkey, November 2012.
- Sub-regional capacity building and awareness raising programme to enable Caribbean Member States to effectively fight illicit trafficking in Cultural Property, organised by UNESCO, Saint-Lucia, December 2012. Programme. Recommendations.
Conferences and Seminars 2011
- International Conference entitled “Patrimoine universel/revendications locales” organised par the Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève and the University of Geneva, February 2011.
- International Conference on “The fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property – The 1970 Convention: past and future” organised by UNESCO – Paris, March 2011. Programme. Report: Recommendations.
- 17thsession of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation – Paris, June/ July 2011.
- Regional Workshop on the “Prevention and fight of illicit traffic in cultural goods in Southern African region – current situation and way forward”, organised by the UNESCO Office in Windhoek and Harare and the relevant governmental partners in Namibia (countries represented: Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe,– Windhoek, September 2011. Report: Recommendations.
- Training course for judges from Ecuador, Istituto italo-Latino Americano (IILA), Rome – November 2011.
- Participation in a group of expert to elaborate “draft Guidelines for crime prevention and criminal justice responses with respect to trafficking in cultural property”, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna – November 2011.
Conferences and Seminars 2010
- Workshop on the protection of cultural objects, organised by the Istituto Italo-Latino Americano (IILA) – Rome, April 2010; this workshop follows the Regional Workshop on legal measures for the prevention and fighting against illicit trafficking in cultural objects organised by IILA in Buenos Aires in 2009 to which Unidroit took part.
- Workshop of the PNI Institutes on “Protecting Cultural Property” organised by the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme (ISPAC) – Vienna, 17 May 2010.
- Workshop on the protection of cultural objects within the 19th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UNODC) – Vienna, May 2010.
- 6thINTERPOL Conference on illicit traffic in cultural objects in Central and Eastern European countries – Vienna, June 2010.
- Information and exchange meeting on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the 5 years of implementation of the Swiss Law on the international transfer of cultural objects, organised by the Swiss Commission for UNESCO in co-operation with the Federal Office for Culture – Bern, 1st June 2010.
- Workshop on the protection of the cultural heritage of Mediterranean countries within the 3rd Convention of the Lawyers of the Mediterranean, organised by the Fondation de droit continental – Rome, 9 June 2010.
- 16thsession of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation – Paris, September 2010.
- Information meeting on the issue of the ratification of the 1995 Unidroit Convention, organised by the Belgian French speaking and German speaking Commission for UNESCO – Brussels, 16 November 2010.
- Regional Workshop on the prevention against illicit trafficking in cultural objects, for countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Yemen, organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain and UNESCO – Manama, November 2010.
Conferences and Seminars 2009
- Conference organised by the Europae Archaeological Consilium and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe entitled “Who steels our Past? Europe´s Archaeological Heritage under Threat” – Strasbourg, March 2009.
- 15thsession of the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation – Paris, May 2009.
- Legal training course on the protection of the cultural heritage for African countries, organised by the CoESPU (Center of Excellence for the Stability Police Units) and UNESCO – Vicenza, June 2009.
- International Conference on “Governance of Cultural Property: Preservation and Recovery” organised by the Basel Institute on Governance – Basel, September 2009.
- Regional workshop on “Protection of religious cultural objects in South America and Caribbean”, organised by UNESCO – Mexico City, September/October 2009; Programme. Final Declaration.
- 2ndPanafrican Cultural Congress on “Inventory, Protection and Promotion of African Goods” organised by the African Union – Addis Abeba, November 2009.
- Sub-regional seminar on “Strengthening the legislative and institutional framework – Protection of collections – Illicit traffic” organised by UNESCO’s Lebanese Bureau and EUROMED Heritage – Beirut, November 2009. Programme. Recommendations.
- Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group Meeting on the Protection against Trafficking in Cultural Property, organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Vienna, November 2009.
- Regional workshop on legal measures for the prevention and fighting against illicit trafficking in cultural objects, organised by the Istituto Italo-Latina Americano (IILA) – Buenos Aires, Nov./ December 2009.
- International meeting on illicit traffic in cultural objects organised by the Italian Ministry of Culture during the Italian presidency of the G8 – Rome, December 2009.
Conferences and Seminars 2008
- Athens International Conference on the “Return of Cultural Property to its Country of Origin, organised by UNESCO and the Greek Ministry of Culture, at which several cases involving the return of cultural property were analysed – Athens, March 2008. Programme. Conclusions.
- International Colloquium on “The dispersal of the cultural heritage – the state of play and a tentative response” organised by the Faculty of Law and Political Science at Tunis and the international research group “Droit du patrimoine culturel et droit de l’art” (CNRS) (The Law of Cultural Heritage and the Law of Art)– Tunis, May 2008.
- The European Centre for Peace and Development (ECPD), together with the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of the Republic of Srpska, organised a third international seminar at Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina) in October 2008.
- Legal training course on the protection of the Iraqi cultural heritage intended for Iraqi experts (lawyers, civil servants and museum staff) organised by UNESCO’s Iraqi Bureau – Beirut, November 2008.
- Expert meeting and extraordinary session to celebrate the 30th anniversary of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation: its past and its future – Seoul, November 2008.
- International Conference on Organised Crime in Art and Antiquities, organised on the initiative of ISPAC, in co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Courmayeur, December 2008.
Conferences and Seminars 2007
- 14thsession of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation, Paris, June 2007.
- UNESCO Beirut Sub-Regional Seminar on “the Protection of Cultural Property through Application of Conventions and its Tools”, Amman (Jordan), June 2007.
- INTERPOL, Regional Seminar for Central and Eastern Europe on the illicit traffic in cultural property, Crakow (Poland), September 2007.
- Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly, Conference on “International Conventions and Major Texts for Heritage: Current Situation and Prospects”, Vilnius (Lithuania), October 2007.
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Europarecht, Symposium on the Restitution of Cultural Objects, Vienna, October 2007.
- Milan University, Conference on “The Role of the Code of Ethics in the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Art Market”, Milan, October 2007.
- European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD), together with the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Srpska, held an international seminar in Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina), October 2007.
Conferences and Seminars 2006
- UNESCO Office in Venice – UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE) organised, in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a regional workshop on the prevention of illicit traffic of cultural heritage and other illegal actions which was held in Ohrid in March 2006. Programme. Recommendations.
- The Ministry of Culture of Albania together with the UNESCO Office in Venice – UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE) held an international meeting on the fight against illicit traffic in cultural objects in Tirana (Albania), June 2006. Programme.
- In the context of its programme relating to information on and promotion of existing international instruments, the International Trade Center UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) has organised a workshop in Vietnam (Hanoi), at which Prof. Kessedjan (Paris) presented the 1995 Unidroit Convention.
- Prof. Philippe Kahn (France) has made a presentation of the integration of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention in French law at a seminar organised by the CNRS on the protection of archives in Paris on 15 June 2006.
- The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican Center of Uniform Law organised, under the auspices of UNIDROIT, an international seminar on the legal protection of cultural objects (Mexico City, September 2006).
- European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD), together with the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of Srpska, held an international seminar in Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina), October 2006.
- The Convention has also been discussed at a workshop on harmonisation of business law organised in Tshwane (South Africa) by the African Union.
Conferences and Seminars 2005
- 13thsession of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation was held in Paris in February 2005.
- The Italian Association of Historic Houses organised in Rome, on 15 April 2005, a conference at which the Secretariat of Unidroit was invited to explain the benefits private owners would get from the Convention in case their cultural objects were stolen or illegally exported.
- International Colloquium on the legal protection of cultural objects organised in May 2005 by the Law Faculty of the University of Annaba (Algeria) – the Convention was extensively presented to representatives of the Maghreb countries, Iraq and Syria.
- 6thInternational Symposium on the Theft of and Illicit Traffic in Works of Art, Cultural Property and Antiques organised by ICPO-INTERPOL in Lyon, June 2005; more than 40 countries and ten international organisations were represented at the Symposium.
- The Spanish Guardia Civil and the TAIEX (Directorate General Enlargement of the European Commission) co-organised an International Seminar on Illegal Trafficking of Cultural Goods in Madrid from 29th November to 1st December 2005, for new Member States, Candidate Countries and Western Balkan countries in particular.
Conferences and Seminars 2004
- The French Observatoire des mouvements internationaux d’oeuvres d’art has invited a member of the Secretariat to attend two meetings, one of which totally devoted to the 1995 Convention (Paris, 24 March and 26 May 2004). It has been an opportunity to meet persons from all professional categories of the art world in France to make the Convention better known.
- The Ministry of Culture, following the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Convention in 2003, organised a Conference totally devoted to the 1995 Convention to explain to the professionals how to better apply the Convention (Baku, June 2004).
- In the context of the Dutch presidency of the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Culture organised a Conference entitled “Fighting Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods within the European Union” which emphasised in particular the implementation of the European texts in this field, as well as the two relevant international conventions, the 1995 Unidroit Convention being one (Rotterdam, November 2004)
Conferences and Seminars 2003
- 12thsession of UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation, Paris, March 2003.
- First meeting of the States Parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Cultural Property, Paris on 15 October 2003. Recommendations. Final Report.
- Colloquium organised by the Senate of Belgium, entitled “ Restitution of Cultural Property – What is the Role of Belgium?”, within the framework of the ratification by Belgium of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, Brussels, January 2003.
- Colloquium on the Protection of African Cultural Property, organised by the French senators elected at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Paris, March 2003.
- 7thSeminar on International Law organised by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on “The Resolution of Cultural Property Disputes”, The Hague, May 2003.
- 1st specialised meeting on the traffic in stolen works of art and religious and archaeological items, organised by INTERPOL, Bamako (Mali), September 2003.
- Colloquium organised by the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, Paris, November 2003.
- Regional seminar on international instruments for the protection of cultural property, organised by UNESCO, Abuja (Nigeria), November 2003.
Conferences and Seminars 2002
- Regional workshop on the illicit trafficking of cultural property for Arab States organised by UNESCO, Beirut (Lebanon), February 2002.
- International Conference on illicit trafficking of cultural property organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, UNESCO and the Russian Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Moscow, September 2002. This Conference brought together representatives of the Russian Federation, of the Community of Independent States (CIS) and of Baltic States.
- Second Workshop for the “Prevention of Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property” of the “EU Forum on Prevention of Organised Crime”, organised in Brussels on 9 December 2002 by the European Commission, Directorate General “Justice and Home Affairs”.
Conferences and Seminars 2001
- 11thsession of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation, Phnom Penh (Cambodia), March 2001.
- Conference on archaeological property and the illicit trafficking on cultural property organised by the Italian Carabinieri , Rome, June 2001.
- Workshop on the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia, organised by ICOM, Hanoi (Vietnam), April 2001.
- First meeting of the European Forum for the Prevention of Organised Crime, with a specific workshop focusing on the prevention of trafficking in cultural goods, organised by the European Commission, Directorate General for Justice and Home Affairs, Brussels, May 2001.
- Third Conference on Illicit Traffic in Cultural Property Stolen in Central and Eastern Europe organised by ICPO-Interpol, Brijuni (Croatia), May 2001.
- Regional Workshop on Cultural Legislation for Central Asian Countries organised by UNESCO, Dushanbe (Tadjikistan), May 2001.
- National Seminar to fight illicit traffic of Cambodian cultural property, adoption of an appropriate legal framework, organised by UNESCO, Phnom Penh (Cambodia), June 2001.
- Interregional Conference on Co-ordination of Implementation of UNESCO Conventions and other International Instruments on the Protection of Cultural Heritage, organised by UNESCO in Erevan in September 2001 and following a workshop on cultural legislation organised by UNESCO’s National Armenian Commission in 2000 which Unidroit attended, – National Workshop on International Standards for the Protection of Cultural Heritage organised by UNESCO in Baku (Azerbaijan), September 2001.
- Seminar on Fighting Against the Illicit Traffic and Smuggling of Chinese Cultural Heritage following a first seminar (1998), organised by the Chinese Government and UNESCO in Shenzhen (China) in October 2001.
Conferences and Seminars 2000
- Joint National Session organised by the Ministry of Justice of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Unidroit on 29 January 2000.
- Conference on the implementation of the principle of good faith and the illicit trafficking on cultural property organised by the Italian Carabinieri, Rome, June 2000.
- National workshop organised in by the national Commission of UNESCO for Armenia, Erevan, December 2000. Participants: government officials of the Ministries of Culture, Directors of museums, police and customs officers.
- Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, organised in Paris on 15 November 2000, a session was devoted to the 1995 Unidroit Convention.