International protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict

Abstract

In the last two decades we have witnessed a multiplication of international initiatives and a significant evolution in the attention given to the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict. Although the developments of the last twenty years seem to demonstrate a clear consensus regarding the need for an effective international legal protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict, it is not possible to identify a single universal international legal regime applicable to all situations. The conventional nature of the 1954 Convention and its two protocols implies that the understanding of the international legal regime for the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict should consider the autonomy of six different international legal regimes, with the consensual existence of an international legal regime of a customary nature, which is particularly relevant as it represents a minimum standard of action.