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23 May 2017, 12:15-14:00

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The Protection of Cultural Property in Times of Armed Conflicts

IHL Talks

Women walk on the roof of the Great Mosque of Djenné after praying. The Great Mosque of Djenné was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1988 along with the old town of Djenné, Women walk on the roof of the Great Mosque of Djenné after praying. The Great Mosque of Djenné was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1988 along with the old town of Djenné,

In August 2015, The Islamic State group blew up the Baalshamin Temple at Palmyra World Heritage site in Syria, adding one more shocking item to its list of illegal behaviour. This IHL Talk will discuss the legal framework protecting cultural property in armed conflicts situations. It will also address the recent international initiatives aiming at enhancing the protection of cultural property, including the creation of the International Alliance for the Protection of Cultural Property in Conflicts Zones (ALIPH), which will be based in Geneva.

Moderation

  • Stephanie Nebehay, Senior Correspondent at Thomson Reuters

Panelists

  • Benjamin Charlier, International Committee of the Red Cross
  • Jonathan Cuenoud, Swiss Minitry of Foreign Affairs
  • Maxence Langlois-Berthelot, Mission Protection du Patrimoine Culturel en Danger, French Ministry of Finance

Destruction of Palmyra by Islamic State with copyright

About IHL Talks

The IHL Talks are a new series of events, hosted by the Geneva Academy, on international humanitarian law and current humanitarian topics. Every two months at lunchtime, academic experts, practitioners, policy makers and journalists discuss burning humanitarian issues and their regulation under international law.

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IHL Talk: The Protection of Cultural Property in Times of Armed Conflicts

In August 2015, The Islamic State group blew up the Baalshamin Temple at Palmyra World Heritage site in Syria, adding one more shocking item to its list of illegal behaviour.

This IHL Talk discussed the legal framework protecting cutural property in armed conflicts situations. It also addressed the recent international initiatives aiming an enhancing the protection of cultural property, including the creation of the International Alliance for the Protection of Cultural Property in Conflicts Zones (ALIPH), which is based in Geneva.

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