Nairobi Office

Africa is home to an archaeological, ethnographic and artistic heritage of great richness, often vulnerable. Although its weight in the market remains modest, the attention it attracts from collectors, museums and, unfortunately, traffickers keeps growing.

The Nairobi office was designed to respond to this reality: to be close to those working on the ground and to support States whose means for monitoring their sites and borders vary.

Nairobi is a diplomatic and air hub, home to several international institutions. The city offers quick access to the capitals of East, Southern and Central Africa, and regular connections to West and North Africa.

This position allows a small team of some twenty staff (indicative) to cover an immense territory by combining field travel, regional workshops and videoconferences.

The office works with States, but also with communities of origin, whose voice is essential to understand the meaning of objects and the circumstances of their removal. Respect for these communities is among the Organisation's values.

Restitution decisions remain with the competent bodies, following the procedure described in the Protection section.

The office acts under the authority of the Secretary-General and reports to the Member States Relations Directorate. It does not issue certificates, but processes requests locally and prepares files for headquarters.

It takes part in Executive Council sessions when African topics are on the agenda, and contributes to preparing the General Assembly.

For any request for support, information or a meeting, write to the office's address or call the switchboard. For a certification procedure or to report a work, the OIMAP Desk remains the entry point.

African Member States can also go through their national focal point, who knows the Nairobi team and facilitates exchanges.