The issue of ethics is reflected in all UNESCO conventions.
For ethnology, Convention on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Convention on the Protection and Promotion of
the Diversity Cultural Expressions, Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage are the most important ones. UNESCO is based on faith in universal values on which it also builds itsattitude to ethical aspects of the research. It tries to establish common values and criteria for all countries, taking into a
special account the development countries. It is the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) that deals with the issue
of ethics in relation to traditional knowledge, traditional cultural
expressions, and folklore. The most important aspects for the
protection of cultural heritage include the respect for cultural
diversity among nations, and the protection from the misuse of
traditional knowledge and awareness including their
commercialization.