Article

East African State Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention begin national reviews of their protection of cultural property

Some of the participants in the online information meeting on Periodic Reporting organized on 14 January 2021 by the UNESCO Nairobi Office.

18 January 2021

Last update:20 April 2023

UNESCO is supporting eight Eastern African State Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania) with preparation of their national s on measures taken over the past four years (2017-2020) to protect cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict. Two online information meetings-- in English and French--were organized by UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa and the Secretariat of the 1954 Hague Convention and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols on 14 January 2021 in order to guide national focal points, UNESCO National Commissions and other stakeholders from the above-mentioned countries through the periodic reporting questionnaire format and encourage a participatory process for its preparation with a wide range of government and military stakeholders.

The 1954 Hague Convention is the first international treaty adopted with a universal scope on the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict and aims to preserve both movable and immovable property as of national importance, such as monuments of architecture, art or history and archaeological sites, works of art, manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic, historical or archaeological interest as well as scientific collections and important collections of objects of art.

Periodic reporting is an important mechanism allowing the States Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols to disseminate information on measures taken, prepared or contemplated by their respective national authorities in the fulfillment of these treaties and the protection of cultural properties. National periodic reports also constitute an essential source of information for cultural heritage professionals, researchers and policy makers who are looking for information on actions taken by Governments to give effect to the provisions of the 1954 Hague Convention and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols.

Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

State Parties are requested to submit national reports on the implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols to the UNESCO Director-General every four years. The reports for 2017-2020 are due for submission on 30 June 2021. Thirty participants from the 8 Eastern African countries joined the briefing sessions on 14 January 2021 in order to learn more about the Periodic Reporting format and recommended methodology for the preparation of the report in a participatory and inclusive manner. A follow-up meeting will be organized in July 2021 to present the results, lessons learned and best practices from the reporting exercise with all 13 countries from the Eastern Africa region.

For more information, please visit: