The 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of 
Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict has now come into force. 
This is much the most important cultural protection advance in 
international law for 50 years.

Though I haven't seen the exact date yet, it is confirmed that the first
statutory meeting of States Parties to the Second Protocol will be held
during the next General Conference of UNESCO in October 2005.  

This will have a number of very important issues on the agenda, including 
adopting Rules of Procedure, Operational Guidelines and the Rules for the 
new Fund for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed 
Conflict. Even more important, the meeting will elect the 12 members of the 
new governing standing Committee (modelled on the World Heritage 
Committee).

Only States Parties to the Protocol at the date of the meeting will be 
eligible to vote and be nominated to the new Committee, so if your country 
wants to take a full part will have top get their legal Instrument of 
Ratification or Accession to the Director-General of UNESCO at least three 
months before the date of the meeting - i.e. by about the end of June.

If your country is one of the 28 that are now full members of the Protocol, 
and eligible to attend and take part in the October 2005 meeting, (see the 
list below) - many congratulations!

If however it is not, then national committees and individual ICOM members 
need to lobby their governments and press them to take urgent action and 
get the necessary legal document to UNESCO so that your country can be 
properly represented - and perhaps be elected to the very important new 
International Committee.




Patrick Boylan


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STATES PARTIES TO THE 2ND PROTOCOL AT 11TH MARCH 2005, AND DATE AND TYPE OF 
LEGAL INSTRUMENT DEPOSITED WITH THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO

1  Bulgaria  (14/06/2000 - Ratification) 
2  Qatar  (04/09/2000 - Ratification) 
3  Belarus  (13/12/2000 - Ratification) 
4  Panama  (08/03/2001 - Accession) 
5  Azerbaijan  (17/04/2001 - Ratification) 
6  Cyprus  (16/05/2001 - Ratification) 
7  Nicaragua  (01/06/2001 - Accession) 
8  Spain  (06/07/2001 - Ratification) 
9  Libyan Arab Jamahiriya  (20/07/2001 - Accession) 
10  Argentina  (07/01/2002 - Accession) 
11  Austria  (01/03/2002 - Ratification) 
12  Lithuania  13/03/2002  Accession 
13  El Salvador  27/03/2002  Accession 
14  The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  (19/04/2002 - Accession) 
15  Serbia and Montenegro  (02/09/2002 - Accession) 
16  Honduras  (26/01/2003 - Accession) 
17  Gabon  (29/08/2003 - Accession) 
18  Mexico  (07/10/2003 - Accession) 
19  Equatorial Guinea  (19/11/2003 - Accession) 
20  Costa Rica  (09/12/2003 - Accession) 
21  Slovakia  (11/02/2004 - Ratification) 
22  Slovenia  (13/04/2004 - Accession) 
23  Switzerland  (09/07/2004 - Ratification) 
24  Ecuador  (02/08/2004 - Ratification) 
25  Finland  (27/08/2004 - Acceptance) 
26  Paraguay  (09/11/2004 - Accession) 
27  Estonia  (17/01/2005 - Approval) 
28  Guatemala  (04/02/2005 - Accession)
 
ThE Protocol entered into force on 9 March 2004 (three months after the 
deposit of the 20th instrument. It subsequently will entered into force for 
each State three months after the date of deposit of that State’s 
instrument.

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