Case Studies

The following examples showcase three successful restitutions of cultural heritage completed by the Platform to date, as well as three current projects underway:

Completed cases

Restitution of an eighteenth-century icon

An eighteenth-century icon depicting Saint John the Forerunner was returned to the Orthodox Church of Cyprus by a British citizen in February 2022.

Articles

"Une icône volée est rendue à Chypre", Tribune de Genève, February 2022

Restitution of Four antique Etruscan vases

Four antique Etruscan vases were repatriated to Italy by private collectors from Geneva, followed by a ceremony at the Swiss Institute of Rome in 2023.

List of the four antique Etruscan vases

Articles

"Des citoyens suisses restituent de précieux vases antiques à Rome", Le Temps, March 2023

Restitution of a “tzanta” shrunken head

With the help of UNESCO, a “tzanta” shrunken head was repatriated to Ecuador in September 2025 by a Swiss family who inherited it from an ancestor, who was a diplomat at Quito at the start of the twentieth century.

Articles

"Une Tzantza restituée à l’Equateur", Le Courrier de l'Unesco, June 2025

Genève restitue une «tzantza» à l’Équateur, Journal de l'UNIGE, June 2025

Current Projects

Restitution of a collection of pre-Columbian fabrics

A collection of pre-Columbian fabrics originating from the region Chancay of Peru to be repatriated to Peru in 2026.

A ceremony to repatriate the pre-Columbian fabrics took place on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, in Bern (Federal Office of Culture).

A collection of pre-Columbian pottery to be repatriated to Mexico in 2026.

Several mother-of-pearl votives to be returned to the Bavarian National Museum in Germany.