Destruction of Natural and Cultural Heritage During Armed Conflicts: An International Law Perspective

Armed conflicts lead to the destruction of both natural and cultural heritage. International law provides some general rules and principles to protect heritage in the course of wartime. To illustrate, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted together with two Additional Protocols from 1954 and 1999 respectively. The aim of this paper is primarily to set forth major international conventions on the protection of both natural and cultural heritage during war. Secondly, the paper seeks to answer whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) would be competent to hear the case of Ukraine. This analysis brings us to the conclusion that each country is required to fulfil its obligations stemming from customary international law and international humanitarian law (IHL).