Tuesday, May 22, 2012

UNESCO Database of Cultural Property Laws

I received this solicitation, which I am happy to pass along:

Dear Sir or Madam:

I write to you regarding the UNESCO Database of National Cultural Heritage Laws. Created in 2003, the Database contains more than 2,350 laws of 180 countries, and is available on-line at www.unesco.org/culture/natlaws.   It is easy to use and free of charge, and provides a unique tool for cultural authorities, museums, universities, law firms, and heritage professionals. More generally, the database can play an important role in fighting the illicit traffic of cultural heritage.

We believe that the content of the Cultural Property Observer Blog may benefit from this resource and that it is well-positioned to help promote the Database to a large audience of possible users. Accordingly, we invite you to share the above URL widely, and to promote its use among other relevant individuals and institutions.
....

Thank you, and best regards,
Jordan Jacobs

UNESCO Consultant

Comment:  This is a useful resource. IFAR has a similar database, but it is probably not as complete.  Of course, the fact that a law exists on the subject does not answer the specific question of whether it is just to all stakeholders, whether it is enforced at home or whether it should be enforced abroad.  That, of course, is what much of the cultural property debate is about.

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