Tullio Scovazzi

Roberta Garabello

The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage represents a major step forward in the field of international law. New archaeological rules as well as a comprehensive co-operation system among the States concerned are set up by the new Convention. Despite the negative attitude assumed by few States at the moment of voting for the text of the Convention, this new international instrument is welcome by the great majority of States. This volume focuses on the main aspects of the Convention. It is divided in two parts, to describe the situation before and after the adoption (and the forthcoming into force) of the Convention. In the first part the contradictions resulting from the regime established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are analysed together with the undesirable results of the application of the rules of admiralty (law of salvage and law of finds) to the underwater cultural heritage. In the second part the negotiation process is described, both in its general aspects (the myths surrounding the draft) and in its specific results (the drafting of each single provision).

Before and After the 2001 UNESCO Convention

The Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage

James A. R. Nafziger

It is evident that the need to protect cultural objects exceeds the interest of a single owner or a bona fide purchaser, the State of an object's origin or the State where an object is located. Despite the complexity of weighing the contending interests and selecting appropriate rules from a welter of norms and customs, why can't we envisage a truly comprehensive set of international principles, practices and procedures, to protect the cultural heritage of mankind? Toward this end, the Centre for Studies and Research of The Hague Academy of International Law's programme provided a unique opportunity for organized exploration and analysis. This volume presents the resulting studies prepared by the Directors of Research, together with the more specific reports by the researchers working within the Centre. Together they offer an insightful analysis of the importance of fashioning durable rules and institutions for protecting the cultural heritage of mankind from the risks of armed conflict or illegal trafficking.Il est évident que le besoin de protéger les objets culturels prévaut sur l intérêt d un quelconque propriétaire ou acheteur, ainsi que sur son pays d origine ou encore sur celui où il se trouve. Or, le fait de devoir ménager différents intérêts conflictuels et sélectionner les règles appropriées dans une pléthore de normes et de coutumes apparaît comme une tâche extrêmement complexe. Par conséquent, pourquoi ne pas envisager de définir un ensemble complet de principes, pratiques et procédures à mettre en oeuvre sur le plan international dans le but de protéger le patrimoine culturel de l humanité ? Le Centre d étude et de recherche de l Académie de droit international de La Haye a précisément conçu un programme dont le but est d explorer et d analyser cette démarche. Ce volume présente lerésultat des études préparées par les directeurs de recherche et les rapports plus spécifiques produits par les chercheurs dans le cadre de ce programme. Utilisés ensemble, ces documents permettent d analyser de façon approfondie l importance qu il y a à établir des règles et les institutions durables visant à protéger le patrimoine culturel de l humanité contre les risques liés aux conflits armés et autres trafics illégaux.

Cultural heritage of mankind

Francesco Francioni

The volume is the result of an on-going research project on the Antarctic regime being carried out in various Italian universities and open to the participation of scholars and experts from different countries. Two concomitant factors led to the undertaking of the project: the increasing interest aroused by Antarctica in the scientific community, and the dynamic evolution of the Antarctic question in international law and politics. The result is something different from simply a second edition of a previous book, as it was clear that certain topics required entirely new treatment, especially environmental protection, liability, and institutional development. The editors tried to carefully co-ordinate the 21 individual contributions so as to properly cover the whole range of topics while at the same time preserving the pluralistic character of the book.

International Law for Antarctica

Giampiero Francalanci

Daniela Romanò

It is very hard for a lawyer to understand the complex scientific prerequisites that determine the drawing of a certain line, and very hard for a scientist to follow the juridical subtleties that arise once that line is embodied in a legal text. This is the reason why the editors have tried to pool their different experiences in this atlas. They have chosen some important cases and topics and produced the relevant maps and comments. In the commentary they have stressed either the scientific or the legal aspects of the subject, or both, as the case may require. The main aim of "Lines in the Sea" is to give a graphical representation of those provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that can be reproduced on maps. The previous 1958 Geneva Conventions have also been considered, together with the practice that has developed through agreements between the States concerned.

Lines in the Sea

Gabriella Citroni

Enforced disappearance is one of the most serious human rights violations. It constitutes an autonomous offence and a crime under international law on account of its multiple and continuing character. It is not a phenomenon of the past, nor is it geographically limited to Latin America: such scourge is widespread today and on the increase in other continents. For more than twenty-five years, relatives of disappeared people worldwide have insisted on the pressing need for an international legally binding instrument against enforced disappearances. 2006 is the year of the adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, which represents the result of several legislative and jurisprudential developments that are duly analyzed in this book. The Convention has been opened for signature in February 2007.

Tullio Scovazzi

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