Regulate: standards and directives

OIMAP does not create international heritage law; it builds on it. The 1954 Hague Protocol protects cultural property in the event of armed conflict. The 1970 UNESCO Convention addresses illicit transfers. The 1995 UNIDROIT Convention deals with stolen or illicitly exported property.

These texts set out principles. The Organization's directives translate them into procedures that administrations, customs and operators can apply.

In 2019, the General Assembly adopted seven binding directives. Directive No. 2019-07, on the authentication of cultural property, is the most consulted: it defines the methods, evidence and reasoning expected of an opinion on authenticity.

A directive binds the Member States as to the result to be achieved, leaving them the choice of means. Its transposition is monitored.

It all begins with an observation: a risk, a gap, a divergent practice. A committee of experts prepares a draft, which is consulted on with Member States and professionals and then submitted to the Executive Council.

The General Assembly then decides. The deliberately slow procedure ensures that the standards adopted are understood and realistic.

Not everything is a matter of constraint. Recommendations offer guidance that States follow voluntarily, and guidelines detail proven practices.

These flexible instruments make it possible to experiment before making a rule mandatory. Several 2019 directives originated in earlier recommendations.

For a professional, the standard translates into concrete obligations: keeping provenance documents, declaring exports, checking the BIOP database before a sale. These steps are described in the collector's charter.

If in doubt about the interpretation of a directive, the General Secretariat may be consulted in writing. Disputes, for their part, fall under the Arbitrate mission.