A/RES/56/97 Recalling the Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, adopted in Rome on 24 June 1995 by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, 4 Recalling also the Medellin Declaration for Cultural Diversity and Tolerance and the Plan of Action on Cultural Cooperation, adopted at the first Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, held in Medellin, Colombia, on 4 and 5 September 1997, 5 Noting the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and the Action Plan for its implementation, adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 2 November 2001, 6 Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General submitted in cooperation with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7 Aware of the importance attached by some countries of origin to the return of cultural property that is of fundamental spiritual and cultural value to them, so that they may constitute collections representative of their cultural heritage, Expressing concern at the illicit traffic in cultural property and its damage to the cultural heritage of nations, Expressing concern also at the loss, destruction, removal, theft, pillage, illicit movement or misappropriation of and any acts of vandalism or damage directed against cultural property in areas of armed conflict and territories that are occupied, whether such conflicts are international or internal, 1. Commends the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation on the work they have accomplished, in particular through the promotion of bilateral negotiations, for the return or restitution of cultural property, the preparation of inventories of movable cultural property and the implementation of the Object-ID standard related thereto, as well as for the reduction of illicit traffic in cultural property and the dissemination of information to the public; 2. Reaffirms the importance of the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,1 and invites Member States that have not already done so to become parties to the Convention and to promote its implementation; 3. Welcomes the adoption of the Second Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, adopted at The Hague on 26 March 1999, and invites all States Parties to the Convention to consider becoming parties to the Second Protocol; _______________ 4 See www.unidroit.org. A/52/432, annex I. 6 See United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference, Thirty-first Session, Paris, 15 October–3 November 2001, vol. I: Resolutions. 7 See A/56/413. 5 2