2012

New UNESCO chair in the international law of the protection of cultural heritage

The University of Geneva (UNIGE) through its Faculty of Law and the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation (UNESCO) announce the signature of an agreement concerning the establishment of a UNESCO chair in the international law of the protection of cultural heritage.

Based at the UNIGE, this chair will complete the activities of the Faculty of Law’s Art-Law Centre and thus reinforce the key role played by the University in the fields of art and cultural property law. The chair will focus both on teaching and on research, its goal being to enrich UNIGE’s offers in this domain. Moreover, the UNESCO programme UNITWIN (University twinning and networking) conceived to develop networks between universities, will facilitate international collaborations in this field.

"The considerable expansion of the art market raises many legal questions. This first ever UNESCO chair in this area of expertise will enable the University of Geneva to strengthen its leading position by offering an exceptional educational and research quality and diversity", says Marc-André Renold, chairholder of the new UNESCO chair.

From the start of the 2012 academic year, two additional teaching programmes will be proposed: one in international law of the protection of cultural goods available for students following a masters degree at the Faculty of law, and another one in archaeology and museums law destined to students of the Faculties of letters and law. Themes such as the fight against the illicit traffic in cultural property, State ownership of the archaeological heritage or the restitution of cultural property looted during armed conflicts will be examined in these classes.

The chair will officially be inaugurated next fall, during the start of the new academic year.

Faculty of law
Faculty of Law’s Art-Law Centre
UNESCO
UNITWIN

French version

2 mars 2012
  2012