Ministry of Arts and Culture Republic of Mauritius STRENGTHENING SYNERGIES FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION IN EASTERN AFRICA AND THE ADJACENT INDIAN OCEAN ISLAND STATES REPORT OF THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE AND MINISTERIAL ROUNDTABLE 18 – 20 July 2017, MAURITIUS Table of Contents: 1.0 Introduction ..………………………….…………………………………………………………………….. 3 1.1 Objectives of the Regional Conference ………………………………………………….. 4 1.2 Expected Outcomes ………………………………………………………………………………. 5 2.0 Opening …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6 3.0 Presentation of the Agenda and objectives of the Conference ……………………... 12 4.0 Thematic Panels: Discussing Key Areas ………………………………………………………….. 12 4.1 Safeguarding Measures for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict ……………………………………………………………………………………… 13 4.2 Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of 16 Ownership of Cultural Property …………………………………………………………………. 5.0 Outcome of Breakout Sessions ……………………………………………………………………… 27 6.0 Recommendations …………………………………………………………………………………………. 28 7.0 Moving Toward a Regional Statement: the Ministerial Roundtable ……………….. 30 8.0 Closing of the forum …………………………………………………………………………………….… 31 Appendices Appendix 1: Agenda of the Conference/Ministerial Roundtable ……………………………. 32 Appendix 2: Final Recommendations ……………………………………………….………………….. 38 Appendix 3: Final Ministerial Statement ……………………………………………………………….. 40 Appendix 4: List of Participants …………………………………………………………………………..… 44 2 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Regional Conference and Ministerial Roundtable on the protection of cultural heritage in Eastern Africa and adjacent Indian Ocean Islands, held in Mauritius from 18 to 20 July 2017, was organized in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, which provide a roadmap for safeguarding cultural heritage in a sustainable development framework through the majority of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and through ‘Aspiration 5: An Africa with a Strong Cultural Identity, Common Heritage, Values and Ethics’ of the AU’s Agenda 2063. The Regional Conference provided a platform for discussion among national and international actors to strengthen synergies for the protection of cultural heritage. It also provided an opportunity for Ministers to share experiences, innovative practices and policies in the region. 3 Over 80 participants from 12 of the 13 countries covered by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda—only Rwanda was not represented) attended the conference, which aimed to increase capacities and strengthen joint actions for the protection of cultural heritage. A regional survey was carried out by UNESCO prior to the conference in order to establish the existing level of cultural heritage protection on a national and regional level in Eastern Africa. Out of 13 countries in the East Africa Region, seven have ratified the UNESCO 1954 Convention for the protection of cultural heritage in times of armed conflict (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles and Tanzania); however, only two countries have ratified the First Protocol and none have ratified the Second. Five East African countries (Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles and Tanzania) have ratified the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property; none have ratified the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects; and only five (Comoros, Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Sudan and Tanzania) have signed the 2006 AU Charter for African Cultural Renaissance. This is the context in which the regional conference took place in order to continue the consultation process from the national to the regional level. To this effect, the following key objectives and expected results were set out to guide the proceedings: 1.1 OBJECTIVES: To analyze the current level of cultural heritage protection in Eastern Africa and identify the challenges and opportunities for increased protection; 4 To increase awareness of the benefits of ratification of normative instruments in the field of culture; To increase collaboration among East African Member States in the field of Culture; To elaborate a framework for cooperation in the region; 1.2 EXPECTED OUTCOMES: The current level of cultural heritage protection in Eastern Africa as well as the challenges faced and opportunities for strengthened protection guide the elaboration of national policy frameworks; Experiences and innovative practices and policies for the protection of cultural heritage shared among Eastern Africa Ministers responsible for culture; Strengthen existing national agendas for cultural heritage protection through UNESCO Conventions, programmes and resources; Commitment of Ministers from Eastern Africa to strengthen synergies for the national and regional safeguarding of cultural heritage; Participants Of the 13 countries in the Eastern Africa region covered by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, only five countries were represented by their Ministers responsible for culture: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Somalia and South Sudan. The remaining countries were represented by their Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Culture, Museum Directors, Commissioners for Museums and Monuments, and Secretary Generals of UNESCO National Commissions. 5 The Regional Conference was also able to attract other relevant partners and stakeholders from the Eastern Africa Region such as the Regional Economic Commissions of the African Union, the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) and the former Director of the International Council of African Museums (AFRICOM). International organisations such as the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) were also well represented at the conference. Format of the Conference A participatory and hands–on approach was adopted. Facilitation was provided by the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius, the Mauritius National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa. Resource persons from UNIDROIT, INTERPOL, ICOMOS, ICOM and AWHF led participants through the strong network of organizations supporting the implementation of UNESCO’s normative instruments in the field of cultural heritage protection. 2.0 OPENING The Opening Ceremony took place on the morning of 18 July 2017 and featured remarks from: Mr. Simon Springett, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius; Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa; Hon. Leela Devi Dookun- Luchoomun, Minister of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research of Mauritius; and the official opening of the conference by Hon. Prithvirajsing Roopun, Minister of Arts and Culture of Mauritius. Prof. George Abungu, Archaeologist, International Heritage Consultant and UNESCO Expert, provided the keynote address. 6 In his opening remarks, Mr. Springett thanked the Minister of Arts and Culture for hosting this conference. He then stated that it was a very auspicious day to begin the Regional Conference on the protection of Cultural Heritage as it was on this day that tribute was paid to Nelson Mandela through the designation of Nelson Mandela Day. As the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius, he is responsible for ensuring that United Nations activities are aligned with the Government’s priorities, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Africa Union Agenda 2063. These agendas include important cultural elements. He informed the audience that in Mauritius, there are two World Heritage sites, namely the Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne Cultural Landscape, which are rich in terms of cultural heritage. He further stated that cultural heritage must be used as a forefront for development and effective measures should be put in place to combat illicit trafficking. He was confident that this conference will provide a platform to examine the challenges facing cultural heritage protection in the region, and that the African Union Agenda 2063 hand in hand with 2030 Sustainable Development Goals will serve as a guide towards the right direction for cultural heritage protection. To conclude, he requested all the participants to seek the opportunity to learn about the unique Cultural Heritage of Mauritius. In her remarks, Ms. Ndong Jatta, thanked the Ministers for their presence in this conference and especially the Minister of Arts and Culture of Mauritius for hosting the gathering. She stated that it is important to get engaged together on such an important subject of great concern on a regional, national and global level. She recalled that the goal of this meeting is to have all stakeholders, decision makers and various partners strengthen synergies to protect cultural heritage in the region. She invited all participants to join the UNESCO #UNITE4HERITAGE campaign for the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. She called on all Ministers to work for the inclusion of culture in their National Plans for Development, and called on all participants to do their part for the effective safeguarding