Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin.

  • Author: UN General Assembly (34th sess. : 1979-1980)
  • Document source:
  • Date:
    29 November 1979

34. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED WITHOUT REFERENCE TO A MAIN COMMITTEE
64. Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 3026 A (XXVII) of 18 December 1972, 3148 (XXVIII) of 14 December 1973, 3187 (XXVIII) of 18 December 1973, 3391 (XXX) of 19 November 1975, 31/40 of 30 November 1976, 32/18 of 11 November 1977 and 33/50 of 14 December 1978, Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,[1] Aware of the importance attached by the countries of origin to the return of cultural property which is of fundamental spiritual and cultural value to them, so that they may constitute collections representative of their cultural heritage, Reaffirming that the return or restitution to a country of its objets d'art, monuments, museum pieces, manuscripts, documents and any other cultural or artistic treasures constitutes a step forward in the strengthening of international co-operation and the preservation and further development of cultural values, Supporting the solemn appeal launched on 7 June 1978 by the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the return to those who created it of an irreplaceable cultural heritage,[2]

1. Commends the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the work it has done in connexion with the return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin;

2. Requests the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to continue its valuable efforts to find suitable solutions for the problems relating to the return or restitution of cultural property and urges Member States to co-operate closely with that organization in this field;

3. Invites Member States to take all necessary steps for the return or restitution of cultural property through, inter alia, bilateral arrangements;

4. Welcomes the establishment by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation;[3]

5. Invites all Governments to accede to the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property,[4] adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 14 November 1970;

6. Appeals to Member States to encourage the mass information media and educational and cultural institutions to strive to arouse a greater and more general awareness with regard to the return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps to associate the United Nations with the activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization directed towards the return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin, including the mobilization for that purpose of the information media of the United Nations;

8. Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to submit to the General Assembly at its thirty-sixth session a report on the implementation of the present resolution and Of all previous resolutions adopted by the Assembly on this question;

9. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-sixth session an item entitled "Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin".

82nd plenary meeting
29 November 1979


[1] A/34/529 and Corr.1, annex. [2] Ibid., para. 5. [3] Ibid., annex, appendix I. [4] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference, Sixteenth Session, vol. 1, Resolutions, pp. 135-141.
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