At September’s The Art Business Conference in London, Krista Pikkat, UNESCOs Director of Culture and Emergencies, outlined the organisation’s updated International Code of Ethics for Traders in Cultural Property.

First introduced in 1999, the Code has now been updated to reflect feeling that the “world had moved on. We had a lot of trade happening online, there was a growing awareness in the public [of the need for a code], as well a new generation of buyers who were demanding that we are more responsible,” said Krista Pikkat.

A subsequent working group, devised of member states, cultural heritage experts and trade professionals, has worked for five years to ensure that concerns and challenges across the board were well understood, with a stronger sense of collaboration between trade, governments and stakeholders said to have been consolidated.

While much of the updated framework, which contains ten principles for professionals to follow, echoes the principles of the original 1999 code, two key areas were developed: due diligence and cooperation with national authorities. 

“It was important for the code to be general enough to apply across all actors and types in cultural property, regardless of objects, size of business and national context involved and, at the same time, recognise the growing movement globally towards stronger provenance research,” explained Pikkat. The challenge, therefore, was to raise standards while ensuring that the expectations placed on the trade remained realistic and achievable

She noted concerns from governments and enforcement agencies that the trade is not reporting concerns over suspicious activity as readily “as other sectors”, so there is a greater emphasises on encouraging dealers to report suspicious transactions as a way to combat illicit trafficking while also protecting legitimate businesses from becoming involved in problematic transactions.

The Code is not a law, nor is it legally binding. Instead, it is a voluntary international standard intended to encourage responsible trading practices and establish standards that go beyond existing legal requirements. According to UNESCO’S website, when endorsing the code, member states also “emphasised that it should be conceived as a living document”, with periodic updates anticipated.

Ultimately, the new Code seeks to provide an international benchmark for responsible trading or, as Pikkat noted, a way to demonstrate “your commitment to keeping the trade clean.”

The Code of Ethics is now open for adherence by art market professionals and traders are invited to submit a declaration to UNESCO, “allowing them to demonstrate the concrete measures they are taking up uphold its ethical principles, while helping to promote good practices across the sector and raise standards globally”. You can visit the updated code, here.