Restitution of Cultural Property

Abstract

The author considers the importance of well drafted national and international legal texts for ensuring the effective protection of cultural property. Examining the destruction of cultural heritage, he notes the adoption of the UNESCO Declaration concerning the International Destruction of Cultural Heritage. The complex issues surrounding the looting and restitution of cultural property are described, and the significance of the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property is noted.