UNESCO study counts 357 restitution cases as it urges stronger action on trafficked cultural property

30 October 2026

UNESCO has set out recommendations for countries of the Mercosur bloc on preventing and fighting the illicit trafficking of cultural property. They follow a regional seminar held on 6 and 7 October 2026 at Montevideo in Uruguay with the support of the UNESCO Regional Office there, bringing together officials from the culture, customs, security, prosecution, foreign affairs and museum sectors. The work rests on the 1970 Convention, which sets the international framework against the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property. At the seminar UNESCO presented a comparative study on return and restitution processes in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2015 and 2023, covering fifteen countries. Those countries reported recovering more than 37,000 cultural objects, and the study identified 357 restitution cases, of which 305 went through diplomatic channels, 116 through police action and 13 through judicial proceedings. UNESCO recommended updating legal frameworks, watching auction houses and digital platforms more closely, making databases interoperable and sharing information faster. Mercosur is also working on an agreement on the protection and recovery of cultural property within the bloc.