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East Africa participates in the 50th Anniversary of UNESCO 1970 Convention

Vigango in the Kaya Sacred Forest (Kenya) © Steve Okoko, Fort Jesus Museum/National Museums of Kenya

23 November 2020

Last update:20 April 2023

UNESCO, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the European Commission and the Council of Europe organized an international online conference on multilateralism, cultural heritage protection and the fight against illicit trafficking on 16 to 18 November 2020. The event was convened as part of the 50th anniversary commemorating the and on the occasion of the first .

The high-level conference was opened by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, the German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heiko Maas, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel. The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, intervened by video message.

Participants in the discussions representing the Eastern Africa region included Dr. George Abungu, a Heritage Consultant from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and Ms. Cecille Kalebi, the Principal Secretary, Department of Culture in Seychelles. Dr. Abungu was part of a three-person panel that discussed “Return and Restitution under the 1970 UNESCO Convention, existing mechanisms and possible ways forward.” while Ms. Kalebi intervened during the session on Regional Perspectives from African States.

The Eastern Africa region is proud to lend its voice to this high-level engagement on illicit trafficking in cultural property, amid a myriad of challenges including large-scale looting exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising illegal online sales. UNESCO is at hand to supports its Member States by providing technical expertise, helping improve national legislation, promoting cooperation between parties to the Convention, and training cultural and customs professionals.

Director, UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Technical experts and representatives from partner organizations participating in this forum included: the International Council of Museums (ICOM), INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). For more information on this event, please click .