The illicit traffic in cultural objects is a grave concern to the general public and international community.
The resulting cultural damage fuels debates on how best to regulate the trade in cultural objects and inform legal responses at all levels for the protection of movable cultural heritage. Treaties concerning the treatment of cultural objects during peacetime and war represent some of the earliest multilateral initiatives on cultural heritage in the modern era. They also remain some of the most deeply contested, representing shifting fault lines within the international community.
Authored by leading scholars and practitioners from around the world, this Commentary is the first to cover the two leading multilateral treaties on movable cultural heritage in one volume: the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property adopted by UNESCO in 1970 and the Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects adopted by UNIDROIT in 1995.
This Commentary is designed to be the authoritative text for academics, lawyers, policymakers, and diplomats on the protection and regulation of cultural objects. Encompassing both public and private international law rules on the trade in cultural objects, it provides a detailed historical and thematic overview. Drawing on the travaux preparatoires and intergovernmental and state practice over the last half century, the Commentary provides an article-by-article analysis of the interpretation and application of these treaties. The texts 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions are examined in the working context of other culture conventions including the World Heritage Convention and the Intangible Heritage Convention, as well as related fields of international law, such as international humanitarian law, international criminal law, human rights law, and international economic law.
The volume also offers a critical examination of current trends and future directions which are informing the field.
PART I - INTRODUCTION Ana Filipa Vrdoljak: Introduction PART II - THE 1970 UNESCO CONVENTION: COMMENTARY Andrzej Jakubowski: The Preamble to the 1970 UNESCO Convention Janet Blake: Article 1 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Definition of 'Cultural Property' Francesco Francioni: Article 2 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Purposes Marcílio Toscano Franca: Article 3 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Definition of 'Illicit' Kerstin von der Decken: Article 4 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Cultural Property Forming Part of the Cultural Heritage of Each State Marie Cornu: Article 5(a) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: National Laws and Regulations Sophie Vigneron: Article 5(b) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: National Inventories Toshiyuki Kono: Article 5(c) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Scientific and Technical Institutions Zeynep Boz: Article 5(d) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: The Supervision of Archaeological Excavations Manlio Frigo: Article 5(e) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Ethics Arie Afriansyah: Article 5(f) and 5(g) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Education and Publicity Jorge Sánchez Cordero: Article 6 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Export Controls Tullio Scovazzi: Article 7(a) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Import Controls of Illegally Exported Cultural Property Charlotte Woodhead: Article 7(b)(i) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Prohibition of Import of Inventoried Cultural Property Stephen K Urice and Gideon Levy: Article 7(b)(ii) of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Cooperation for the Return of Cultural Property Stefano Manacorda and Arianna Visconti: Article 8 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Penalties or Administrative Sanctions Patty Gerstenblith and Wang Yunxia: Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: International Cooperation and Bilateral Agreements Janet Ulph: Article 10 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: National Measures Related to Non-State Actors James A R Nafziger: Article 11 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Foreign Occupation Clémentine Bories: Article 12 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: International Administration Clause Evelien Campfens: Article 13 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Requirements of National Laws Robert Peters: Article 14 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: National Services and Budget Afolasade A Adewumi, John Oluwole A Akintayo, and Andrzej Jakubowski: Article 15 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Agreements for Return or Restitution of Cultural Property Removed Prior to 1972 Kristin Hausler: Article 16 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Periodic Reporting Andrzej Jakubowski and Alessandro Chechi: Article 17 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: The Roles of UNESCO Lucas Lixinski: Article 22 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Territorial Application Malgosia Fitzmaurice and Agnes Rydberg: Articles 18-21, 23-26 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention: Final Clauses Andrzej Jakubowski: Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) Ana Filipa Vrdoljak: The 1970 UNESCO Convention: Governance and Oversight PART III-THE 1995 UNIDROIT CONVENTION: COMMENTARY Alessandro Chechi: The Preamble to the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention Elina Moustaira: Article 1 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Claims of an International Character Janet Blake: Article 2 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Definition of 'Cultural Objects' Alicja Jagielska-Burduk and Derek Fincham: Article 3 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Claims for Restitution of Stolen Cultural Objects Christa Roodt: Article 4 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Possessor's Rights and Claims for Restitution of Cultural Objects Alessandro Chechi and Keun-Gwan Lee: Article 5 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Claims for Illegally Exported Cultural Objects Bert Demarsin: Article 6 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Possessor's Rights and Claims for Return of Cultural Objects Matthias Weller: Article 7(1) of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Exclusionary Clause Kristopher Wilson: Article 7(2) of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Indigenous Restitution Claims Tamás Szabados: Article 8 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Choice of Forum Kurt Siehr: Article 9 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Applicable Law Craig Forrest: Article 10 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Transitional Clause Riccardo Pavoni: Article 13 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Existing and Subsequent Treaty Obligations Elena Rodríguez-Pineau: Article 14 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Federal or Non-Unitary Constitutional Systems Wojciech Wiktor Kowalski: Article 16 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Procedures for Submission of Claims and Requests Sebastián Green Martínez: Articles 11, 12, 15, 17-21 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention: Final Clauses PART IV-THE 1970 UNESCO AND 1995 UNIDROIT CONVENTIONS RELATIONS WITH OTHER TREATIES Kevin Chamberlain and Laura Pineschi: The 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions and the 1954 Hague Convention and Its Protocols Amy Strecker: The 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions and the 1972 World Heritage Convention Patrizia Vigni: The 1970 UNESCO and 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions, UNCLOS and the 2001 Underwater Cultural Heritage Convention Federico Lenzerini: The 1970 UNESCO and the 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions and the 2003 UNESCO Intangible Heritage Convention Mira Burri: The 1970 UNESCO and the 1995 UNIDROIT Conventions, the 2005 Convention on Cultural Diversity and International Trade Law PART V-CONCLUSIONS Ana Filipa Vrdoljak: Conclusion: Looking Forward on the Trade in Cultural Objects
Ana Filipa Vrdoljak is the UNESCO Chair in International Law and Cultural Heritage and Professor of Law at the University of Technology Sydney. Professor Vrdoljak is a Correspondent (Pacific region) and Member of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention Academic Project of International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT). With Francesco Francioni, she is the editor of the Oxford Commentaries on International Cultural Heritage Law and the Cultural Heritage Law and Policy series. She is President of the International Cultural Property Society (U.S.) and Chair of the Management Committee, International Journal of Cultural Property (Cambridge University Press). Professor Vrdoljak is a consultant to multilateral organisations, governments, and civil society organisations on cultural heritage law, human rights law, and international law. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (in Law) from the University of Sydney. Andrzej Jakubowski holds PhD in International Law (EUI, 2011) and MA in Art History (University of Warsaw, 2005). Affiliated with the Institute of Law Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, he served as Chair of the ILA Committee on Participation in Global Cultural Heritage Governance (2017-2022). A member of the Pool of Arbitrators at the Court of Arbitration for Art (CAfA), he is also enlisted among the mediators and conciliators of the UNESCO Intergovernmental ""Return and Restitution"" Committee (ICPRCP). He has published extensively on issues related to cultural heritage law and cultural rights in International and European law. Alessandro Chechi (PhD European University Institute, LLM University College London) is Senior lecturer at the University of Geneva. He also teaches at the Université Catholique of Lille and at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. He serves as a member of the editorial boards of the Italian Yearbook of International Law and of the Santander Art and Culture Law Review, and is a member of the Société international pour la recherché sur le droit du patrimoine culturel et le droit de l'art (ISCHAL). He was consultant for the Council of Europe for the revision of the Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property, and is the author of the book 'The Settlement of International Cultural Heritage Disputes' (Oxford University Press, 2014).
