It should be critically noted that the guidelines make no specific reference to the obligations under human rights and international law that Germany has entered into (right to culture in the Social Covenant, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples).
This is consistent with the restriction of grounds for restitution of cultural belongings to legally and ethically unjustifiable forms of appropriation.
The guidelines do not take into account the possible cultural, spiritual or sacred significance for the communities of origin.
Two decisions in the new guidelines give:
- Creation of a central point of contact for the governments of origin
- Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international network of experts
From a civil society perspective, three factors are important in this regard:
- Participation of civil society and academia from Germany and former colonial territories in the expert network;
- Funding instruments for communities of origin, descendants, academia and culture in former colonial territories;
- Political and financial support for remembrance work on colonialism in Germany.
