Government submits first report to UNESCO detailing Hague Convention obligations
This Convention, together with the two Protocols, provides for the protection of cultural property in situations of armed conflict.
- In 2017, the UK Government ratified the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and acceded to its two Protocols of 1954 and 1999.
- The UK Government has submitted its first periodic report to UNESCO detailing the steps taken to ensure that we uphold our obligations under the convention and protocols
- The UK Government is proud to be a longstanding champion of cultural heritage protection, demonstrating this commitment through the Integrated Review of security, defence, development and foreign policy
The UK Government ratified the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and acceded to its two Protocols of 1954 and 1999 in 2017. The Convention was drawn up after the widespread devastation of cultural property in the Second World War. This Convention, together with the two Protocols, provides for the protection of cultural property in situations of armed conflict.
The report submitted sets out the measures taken by the UK government and by the Devolved Administrations, who are responsible for the safeguarding of cultural property in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively, to ensure that we are delivering our obligations under the Convention and its Protocols.
Minister for Media and Data, John Whittingdale said:
I am proud of the UK’s work under the Hague Convention, which protects cultural heritage at risk from conflict and ensures that sites and objects of local and international importance are there for generations to come.
I am delighted that we have submitted the UK’s first periodic report to UNESCO detailing the steps that the UK Government and Devolved Administrations have taken to ensure that we go over and above our obligations.
Fulfilling our obligations under the Hague Convention is essential to the UK’s mission to support the rule of law and global freedoms and to champion democratic values.
The UK monitors the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols closely, and works collaboratively with a range of international and domestic stakeholders in the field of cultural protection, including UNESCO, the British Red Cross, Blue Shield, the National Trust and Historic England. The UK government also actively supports UK owners, guardians and trustees who are responsible for safeguarding cultural property, by providing guidance, resources and reports on the Convention and its Protocols which are available to access online and to order.
The fulfilment of the UK’s obligations under the Convention and its two Protocols builds upon and complements the work of the UK Government’s Flagship Official Development Assistance (ODA) Cultural Protection Fund, a DCMS and British Council partnership to support local organisations protecting heritage in conflict-affected areas, and the Cultural Property Protection Unit (CPPU), a specialist unit set up in 2018 by the UK Armed Forces.