OIMAP partners

Heritage and the art market involve many players: States, judges, customs officers, curators, auctioneers, insurers, technicians. None alone holds the information or the skills required. Partnerships make it possible to bring them together.

They serve three purposes: exchanging data useful for protection, pooling expertise and extending the reach of training and awareness campaigns.

Each partnership rests on a written agreement specifying its purpose, duration, each party's commitments, data handling and exit conditions. Agreements are signed by the Secretary-General, after the opinion of the Executive Council where their scope is significant.

The main texts can be consulted in the Public documents section, with the exception of confidential annexes.

Four principles apply to all partners: independence of the Organization in its certification and arbitration decisions, transparency about the links established, confidentiality of personal data and respect for communities of origin.

These principles derive from the Organization's values. A partner that fails to observe them may see the agreement suspended.

A partnership must never influence an individual decision. Staff who process certification files do not work on agreements with companies whose applications they have processed, and declare their interests every year.

The procedure is detailed on the Conflicts of interest page. Gifts and benefits are subject to strict thresholds.

Any institution wishing to propose a partnership sends a letter of intent to the General Secretariat, describing its objectives, its resources and the expected benefits for heritage protection.

The Member States Relations Directorate processes the request, in liaison with the directorate concerned, then submits a draft agreement to the competent bodies. The procedure takes three to six months on average (indicative).