UNESCO's action to promote new forms of agreement and cooperation for the return and restitution of cultural property
In June 2023, UNESCO organized a round table at its Headquarters to examine and highlight new forms of agreement and cooperation in the field of return and restitution of cultural property. The discussion was prompted by the MONDIACULT 2022 Declaration, which called for an open and inclusive international dialogue on the return and restitution of cultural property.
Bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from all regions, the experts shared innovative examples of effective partnerships as well as evolving forms of international cooperation. Among such testimonies were the repatriation of 174 objects from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) to the Anindilyakwa community on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory (Australia), and the restitution of 26 pieces from the Royal Treasures of Abomey (France) to Benin, as part of a strengthening of cultural cooperation between the two States.
Return and restitution are not the end of a process, but the beginning of a relationship based on broader, forward-looking cooperation. The issue of return and restitution should therefore help to support ambitious cultural and scientific cooperation projects.
Organized in consultation with the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP), the event was followed by more than 210 people in-person and online, testifying to the growing interest in the subject matter as well as of the convening role of UNESCO.
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UNESCO supports its Member States in requests for the return and restitution of cultural property through technical assistance and, as part of the fight against illicit trafficking, capacity-building activities for professionals, support for the development of museums and raising public awareness. Supporting museums and museum professionals with regard to requests for the return and restitution of cultural property is one of the main thrusts of UNESCO's Global Priority Africa "Fostering cultural heritage and capacity development".