Return or Restitution of Cultural Property to the Countries of Origin, G.A. res. 50/56, 50 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 49) at 33, U.N. Doc. A/RES/50/49 (Vol. I) (1995).


 
      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, 33/50
of 14 December 1978, 34/64 of 29 November 1979, 35/127 and 35/128 of 11
December 1980, 36/64 of 27 November 1981, 38/34 of 25 November 1983, 40/19 of
21 November 1985, 42/7 of 22 October 1987, 44/18 of 6 November 1989, 46/10 of
22 October 1991 and 48/15 of 2 November 1993,
 
      Recalling also the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing
the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property
adopted on 14 November 1970 by the General Conference of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
 
      Taking note with satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General of
3 October 1995 submitted in cooperation with the Director-General of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
 
      Noting with satisfaction that, following its appeal, other Member States
have become parties to the Convention,
 
      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,
 
      1.    Commends the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization and the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of
Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of
Illicit Appropriation on the work they have accomplished, in particular
through the promotion of bilateral negotiations, for the return or restitution
of cultural property, the preparation of inventories of movable cultural
property, the reduction of illicit traffic in cultural property and the
dissemination of information to the public;
 
      2.    Reaffirms that the restitution to a country of its objets d'art,
monuments, museum pieces, archives, manuscripts, documents and any other
cultural or artistic treasures contributes to the strengthening of
international cooperation and to the preservation and flowering of universal
cultural values through fruitful cooperation between developed and developing
countries;
 
      3.    Requests the Secretary-General, in collaboration with the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to continue to
develop all possibilities for bringing about the attainment of the objectives
of resolution 48/15;
 
      4.    Also requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the
Director- General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, to submit to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session a
report on the implementation of the present resolution;
 
      5.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-second
session the item entitled "Return or restitution of cultural property to the
countries of origin".
      

 

 



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