Cultural Heritage

In international law, cultural heritage encompasses a wide conceptual area. This entry will consider the role of cultural heritage in a country’s international relations and the instruments available in international law for its protection and valorisation. Two areas receive particular mention: the vulnerability of cultural objects to trafficking and the tension between the protection of cultural heritage and economic law and development. The vulnerability of cultural heritage persists in situations where no violations of international law or domestic law take place, so one has to take this into account in designing policy and legal instruments, especially given the nature of tangible and intangible culture as an irreplaceable good.