Symposium on the Fight against Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia

UNESCO Forum in Bangkok Marriott Hotel to help STOP Trafficking culture in SE Asia, a hotbed for the looting and illicit trade of cultural heritage:

A major area of focus of the symposium will be the implementation of the two major international frameworks aimed at combating the trade in stolen and illicitly exported cultural artefacts: UNESCO’s Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (the 1970 Convention) and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exporter Cultural Objects (the UNIDROIT Convention).In Southeast Asia, only Cambodia, Myanmar and Viet Nam have ratified the 1970 Convention, while only Cambodia has ratified the UNIDROIT Convention. The 1970 Convention grew out of a pressing need to respond to a troubling trend in the late 1960s that saw cultural artefacts looted or illicitly smuggled out of countries turn up in private collections or natural museums either illegally or with their origins obscured. The Convention commits signatories to instituting preventative measures to combat the trend, outline provisions for restitution and strengthening international cooperation.

Symposium for the Fight against Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia