On the initiative of Cyprus, a resolution on Cultural Rights and the Protection of Cultural Heritage was unanimously adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, on Thursday afternoon, 22 March 2018. The resolution was tabled at the ongoing 37th session of the Human Rights Council, by a cross-regional core group of States led by Cyprus, which also includes Ethiopia, Argentina, Switzerland, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Mali, Poland and Serbia.
The resolution falls within the scope of relevant activities undertaken by the Permanent Mission of Cyprus in Geneva since 2015, and constitutes in essence an update of the first resolution on the aforementioned issue, which was also unanimously adopted by the Human Rights Council in March 2016. It is part of a broader initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various international fora on issues pertaining to the protection of cultural heritage, which is a foreign policy priority for Cyprus.
During the presentation of the resolution to the plenary session of the Human Rights Council, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus in Geneva, Ambassador George C. Kasoulides, referred to the important role that the Council can play in international efforts to prevent and combat the destruction of cultural heritage.
The resolution unconditionally condemns any unlawful act which causes the destruction of cultural heritage and expresses the deep concern of the Human Rights Council regarding acts of looting, theft, smuggling and illicit trafficking in cultural property, which inevitably impact the enjoyment of cultural rights by all.
The resolution calls, inter alia, for the enhancement of international cooperation at all levels, in order to prevent and combat these phenomena more effectively, underlining the need for the return of stolen cultural property to the countries of origin, as well as the importance of early restoration of the enjoyment of cultural rights to all affected by armed conflict, especially those who are displaced.
Based on the operative part of the resolution, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is requested to convene a two-day workshop in Geneva with the participation of crops regional representation of experts with the aim of developing appropriate tools for the dissemination of an approach to the protection of cultural heritage that promotes universal respect for cultural rights by all.
The text of the resolution had been the subject of an open, informal consultation under the chairmanship of the Cyprus Permanent Mission at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva during the last three weeks of the session. Indicative of the broad support that the resolution enjoys is the fact that it has been so far co-sponsored by 74 member-states of the Organization.
The full text of the resolution as adopted by the Human Rights Council is available on the following link:
http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/37/L.30