Law Library

The work of the Blue Shield is underpinned by international laws designed to protect tangible and intangible heritage in the event of armed conflict by recommending safeguarding measures during peacetime, regulating the conduct of armed forces during armed conflict, and – if necessary – enabling the prosecution of those responsible for its destruction. The Blue Shield works to promote not only national ratification of these laws, but also encourages measures to implement them, both in domestic legislation and in national practices across the globe.

In addition to promoting the protection of cultural property from armed conflict, the Blue Shield also works to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural property which frequently accompanies conflict. A number of international laws regulate trade in cultural property in order to prevent illicit trafficking. These laws cover all aspects of the trade, from shipping to sale to purchase.

Visit our section on Looting and Illicit Trafficking.

Notice in the ruins of Arras Cathedral

Starting that the French authorities intend to preserve them as a historic feature and war memorial and forbidding the removal of material or interface with the site.

13 June 1918

By John Warwick Brooke. Photograph Q 7895 from the Collections of the Imperial War Museum,
via Wikipedia Commons

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