Camilla Gambarini

The debate over art restitution has gained significant momentum in recent years, with museums, collectors and governments increasingly facing calls to return cultural objects to their countries of origin. The issue itself is far from new, but it is undeniable that discussions on restitution have intensified, particularly in relation to the means to find a solution to these disputes (see here for a discussion of the advantages of alternative dispute resolution).

Requested by the UN General Assembly at the initiative of Vanuatu (resolution 77/276), the Opinion follows recent advisory opinions by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) and drew historic engagement, with 91 written submissions and 54 comments from States and international organisations. The Court was asked to clarify: 1.

The resolution of disputes through arbitration has many advantages. A neutral forum constituted by an independent and impartial tribunal often composed of experienced, multi-lingual and multi-qualified professionals. Ad hoc or institutional arbitration rules with different features to apply flexibly to the most diverse type of disputes with different complexity and value.