The 23 founding countries

The founding States are: France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Greece, Austria, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan.

This composition brought together market States, heritage-rich States and transit States, so that the rules adopted would reflect different realities.

The founders included the main market centres, such as Paris, London or New York, and countries whose heritage is particularly exposed to trafficking. This diversity was meant to guarantee a balance between the interests of sellers, buyers and communities of origin.

Their earlier cooperation under the 1970 and 1995 conventions made it easier to negotiate a common treaty quickly.

The founding States drafted the Statutes, set up the first bodies and funded the start-up of the Secretariat. They also hosted the first technical meetings, which prepared the Academy and the Desk.

Today, they hold no voting privilege: each State, founding or not, has one vote in the General Assembly.

Between 2007 and 2024, forty-four States joined the Organization. Many first took part as observers, before ratifying the Statutes according to their national procedure.

The founders often sponsor applications from their region and share their experience in implementing the directives.

The documents of the founding conference are kept in the Organization's archives. They include the draft treaty, the records of the delegations and the first rules of procedure.

Some of these documents can be consulted on the Archives page, subject to the rules on disclosability.