Protecting Cultural Property: International Conference on the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention”

When :

from Thursday 25 April, 2019
10:00
to Saturday 27 April, 2019
17:55

Type of event :

Category 4- International Congress

Where :

Geneva, Switzerland, CENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE CONFÉRENCES GENÈVE, 17 rue de Varembé, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland

Contact :

Shinuna Karume-Robert

To commemorate the 20 years anniversary of the 1999 Second Protocol, UNESCO, with the support of the Government of Switzerland, is organizing a conference on “Protecting Cultural Property: International Conference on the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention” scheduled to take place on 25-26 April 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Twenty years ago, under the auspices of UNESCO, the international community reiterated its will to preserve cultural heritage and adopted the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The Second Protocol introduced new developments in international humanitarian law and as regards cultural heritage, promising a higher level of protection in administrative, legal, military and technical areas.

The first meeting of its kind, the Conference will convene States representatives, experts and other stakeholders to share and deliberate on the achievements and challenges facing the implementation of the Second Protocol, and to provide a clear vision for its future. It is an ideal opportunity to increase the visibility and raise awareness of the instrument and to encourage UNESCO Member States to become party to the 1999 Second Protocol if they have not already done so. To date, 82 states are Parties to this treaty. Panels topics will cover implementation successes and challenges, and various practical approaches.
On behalf of UNESCO, the Conference will be opened by Mr Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture, and on behalf of Switzerland by Ms Pascale Baeriswyl, State Secretary, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Switzerland. Mr Balthasar Staehelin, Deputy Director of International Committee of Red Cross, will also deliver an opening statement. More than 250 participants, including ministers, are expected to attend the event.