1. The Role of the World Museum Community
France Desmarais Director of Programmes and Partnerships
International Council of Museums (ICOM)

2. ICOM: The World Museum Community
An organisation created in 1946, alongside UNESCO, by and for museum professionals, committed to ensuring the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage
An inclusive forum made up of over 36,000 experts and museums from 140 countries and territories to respond to the challenges museums face worldwide
3 official languages: English, French and Spanish
Headquarters based in Paris, France
117 National Committees
30 International Committees dedicated to various museum specialties
20 Affiliated Organisations

3. ICOM’s International Public Service Missions
Setting standards and professional practice
Building capacity for museum professionals
Protecting cultural heritage in emergency situations
Fighting illicit traffic in cultural goods
INDEPENDENCE | INTEGRITY | PROFESSIONALISM

4. ICOM is the only NGO in this group of IGO
Member of the international expert group recognized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
ICOM is the only NGO in this group of IGO

5. The ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums
Minimum standards of ethical professional practice for museums
Adopted in 1986 and revised in 2004
Principles shared by the international museum community
Key tool in the protection of cultural property
Translated into 38 languages
The Code is included in the 2015 UNESCO Recommendation on Museums

6. Cultural Heritage at Risk
Cultural heritage needs protection from:
Natural disasters
Armed conflicts
Political crisis
Instability
Intentional destructions
Looting and illicit traffic
Living Traditions Museum, Changunarayan, Nepal

7. How Museums can Protect Cultural Heritage at Risk?

8. Protecting heritage in danger
The Blue Shield
Cultural equivalent of the Red Cross
ICOM: one of the founding members
Recognised in the 1999 Protocol of the 1954 Hague Convention
Disaster Risk Management Committee (DRMC)
Conducting emergency preparedness and response for museums
Monitoring disasters
Offering relief for cultural heritage

9. Helping museums in emergency situations
Main ICOM-DRMC missions since 2013
2013 – Mali
Damage assessment mission after the withdrawal of the rebel groups followed by a training seminar for West-African museum professionals on emergency situations
2014 – Egypt
- Initial assessment missions to the Museum of Islamic Art (with UNESCO, Blue Shield and Egyptian officials)
- Conservation and damage assessment mission (with Smithsonian Institution and Metropolitan Museum of Art)
2015 – Nepal
Emergency action in the aftermath of the earthquake : Two damage assessment and training missions (with Smithsonian Institution, ICCROM, ICOMOS)
DRMC Mission to the MIA, Cairo, 2014

10. Fighting illicit traffic in cultural goods
One of the biggest threats to cultural heritage. ICOM has been deeply active in this field for the last 45 years
The preservation of movable cultural heritage has been part of ICOM’s mandate and mission statement since 1947
Museums are affected by thefts and can be involved in litigations regarding the ownership of cultural property
It has become one of our international public service missions

11. Tools to prevent illicit traffic in cultural goods
Inventories
INTERPOL Database of Stolen Works of Art
ICOM Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk
Model export certificate
Good practice in acquisitions (ICOM Code of Ethic)
Due diligence

12. Importance of transnational and international cooperation
International Organisations
Civil Society
Law Enforcement Agencies
Carabinieri, OCBC, FBI Art Crime Team, Bundeskriminalamt, Brigada de Patrimonio Histórico
INTERPOL, WCO, UNIDROIT, UNESCO
ICOM,
NGOs,
Dealers,
Buyers

13. International legislation
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954)
Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (UNESCO, 1970)
Convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects (UNIDROIT, 1995)

14. From international law to national laws
Responsibility and duty of every State to implement international conventions
Good example of Germany's new Cultural Property Protection Law
protecting other nation’s cultural heritage
introducing import restrictions on cultural property protected by other States’ national laws
Includes ICOM Red Lists for increased due diligence on concerned types of objects

15. The Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk
Objects are organised by type, material, and period
Descriptions are pragmatic, with the main characteristics listed
Objects illustrated with pictures
The lists include a selected list of categories of objects exposed to the traffic
All the objects featured legally belong to institutions or individuals
Information on the types of objects 15

16. Most recent Red Lists published
– Update

17. Fighting illicit traffic in cultural goods
Thousands of objects returned to countries thanks to ICOM Red Lists
Demand for new languages:
All ICOM Red Lists to be in German
Red list for Syria and Iraq in Turkish
Request for Greek versions of Syria and Iraq Red Lists

18. A new publication on illicit traffic
‘Countering the Illicit Traffic in Cultural Goods: The Global Challenge of Protecting the World’s Heritage’ (Edited by France Desmarais, ICOM, 2015)
16 articles by top scholars and experts
Available on open access online
5,000 copies distributed worldwide
Free of charge

19. Looking Forward for CPP in ICOM
Improving DRMC by reviewing structures and methods, and launching a new Museum Emergency Programme (MEP)
Publishing new Red Lists for West Africa, Yemen and South-East Europe to face increase in illicit traffic in these regions. Translating existing Red Lists in different languages
Developing a new web application and searchable database for the Red Lists, including the next phase of ICOM International Observatory on Illicit Traffic
Promoting ethical museum practice as it contributes to protection of cultural heritage (due diligence, provenance research, good practice in acquisitions…)

20. Thank you! France DESMARAIS Director of Programmes and Partnerships
International Council of Museums (ICOM)