PARIS, MAY 30 – Ambassador Liborio Stellino, Permanent Representative of Italy to UNESCO, and General Vincenzo Molinese, Commander of the Carabinieri Special Unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC), spoke on behalf of Italy at the seventh meeting of the States Parties to the 1970 Convention, which established guidelines for the prohibition and prevention of the illegal trafficking of cultural property.
According to the Italian mission, the Carabinieri TPC represents an Italian Italian global expertise unanimously renowned, at the service of the whole UNESCO membership.
The 1970 Convention is the cornerstone of all activities aimed at combating the illegal trafficking of antiquities and artworks. It was adopted after more and more states gained independence from the 1950s onwards. “The young nations sought to create an international treaty to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property, concerned about the emergence of the black market and the dismemberment of monuments and ancient sites to meet market demand,” as stated on the UNESCO website.
Key provisions of the 1970 Convention
Introduced at the sixteenth session of the General Conference of the Organization in 1970 and adopted on November 14 of the same year, the Convention urges States Parties to take measures to prohibit and prevent the illicit trafficking of cultural property. It provides a common framework for States Parties on the measures to be taken to prohibit and prevent the import, export, and transfer of cultural property.
The return and restitution of cultural property are central to the Convention, and its duty is not only to remember but fundamentally to preserve the identity of peoples and promote peaceful societies in which the spirit of solidarity will be strengthened. In this sense, UNESCO notes that the 1970 Convention is fully in line with the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda.
