Declarations made by States at the time of ratification / accession
under Article 16
Afghanistan
The Government of Afghanistan hereby declares that in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted directly to the courts or other competent authority (Article 16(1)(a)) or through an authority or authorities designated by the State (Article 16(1)(b)).
Algeria
(Translation). In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention, claims for restitution and requests for return may be submitted a) directly to the Algerian authorities in charge of the protection of the cultural heritage; b) through diplomatic or consular channels.
Angola
(Translation). In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention, claims for restitution and requests for return may be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels.
Argentina
(Translation) The Argentine Republic declares that the requests for the return, or claims for the restitution, of acquired cultural objects, brought by a State under article 8, shall be submitted through the diplomatic or consular channels provided for in article 16 (1) (c).
Azerbaijan
In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the Republic of Azerbaijan declares that claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted to it under the procedures which are specified in sub-paragraphs b) and c) of Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention.
In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 2 of the Convention, the Republic of Azerbaijan declares that the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan is designated as the competent authority of the Republic of Azerbaijan to order the restitution or return of cultural objects under the provisions of Chapters II and III.
Benin
(Translation) Benin declares that claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted (1) through the Ministry of Culture of Benin to forward them to the courts or other competent authorities of that State; and (2) through diplomatic or consular channels or through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Benin.
Bolivia
(Translation). The State of Bolivia shall apply the provision contained in Article 16 (1)(a) of the Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted
In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
(a) directly to the courts or other competent authorities of the declaring State; and
(c) through diplomatic or consular channels.
In the Republic of Srpska:
(a) directly to the courts or other competent authorities of the declaring State;
(b) through an authority or authorities designated by the declaring State to receive such claims and to forward them to the courts of other competent authorities of that State; and
(c) through diplomatic or consular channels.
In the Brcko District:
(a) directly to the courts or other competent authorities of the declaring State;
(b) through an authority or authorities designated by the declaring State to receive such claims and to forward them to the courts of other competent authorities of that State; and
(c) through diplomatic or consular channels.
Botswana
The claims for restitution and requests for return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted directly to its courts or other competent authorities.
Brazil
(Translation) In relation to Article 16 paragraph 1 of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, Brazil informs it that claims brought by other Contracting States for the return or restitution of cultural assets from Brazil may be submitted directly to the Brazilian courts or other competent authorities.
Burkina Faso
(Translation) Burkina Faso declares that claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted directly to the courts or other competent authorities or through diplomatic or consular channels.
Cambodia
(Translation). In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1 of the UNIDROIT Convention, requests for the return or claims for the restitution of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 shall be transmitted to the Kingdom of Cambodia through the diplomatic or consular channels.
China
(Translation). In accordance with Article 8 of the Convention, any claim submitted to China for the return or restitution of cultural objects may be submitted directly to a Chinese court, or indirectly to a Chinese court through an agency responsible for the administration of Chinese cultural objects.
Colombia
The Colombian State applies the procedure provided for paragraph 1(c) of Article 16 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects namely, through diplomatic or consular channels, in order that other States Parties may, under Article 8 of the said Convention, submit their requests for return or restitution of cultural property to the Colombian authorities.
Côte d’Ivoire
(Translation) Côte d’Ivoire declares that claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 must be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels.
Croatia
(Translation). In accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, the Republic of Croatia declares that claims for the restitution or return of cultural objects according to Article 8 of the Convention shall be submitted, through diplomatic or consular channels.
Cyprus
The Government of the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1, of the UNIDROIT CONVENTION on Stolen or Illegally Exported Objects, hereby declares that claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by the State under Article 8 may be submitted to it, through diplomatic of consular channels.
Denmark
The Government of Denmark shall hereby in accordance with Article 16 in the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects declare that claims addressed to Denmark for the restitution, or requests for the return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 in the Convention shall be submitted directly to the courts of Denmark.
Ecuador
The Government of the Republic of Ecuador declares that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of the Convention, the claims of restitution or return of stolen or illegally exported cultural property, shall be submitted in accordance with the procedures provided in sections a), b), and c) of paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention.
The National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC) is the designated authority to receive complaints on restitution or return of cultural property in accordance with the provisions of Chapter III of the Convention.
El Salvador
With reference to Article 16, paragraph 1 of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, the States Parties to that Convention may submit their requests for the restitution or return of cultural objects directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador.
Finland
The Government of Finland declares in accordance with Article 16 of the Convention that claims for the restitution, or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted in accordance with the procedure referred to in subparagraph 16 (1) (a). The Ministry of Justice is the authority designated to receive claims or requests under Chapter III of this Convention.
Ghana
Ghana hereby declares that in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted to it directly to designated competent authorities or through diplomatic or consular channels.
Greece
In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the claims and requests must be submitted to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture/Directorate General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage which shall receive such claims or requests and forward them to the competent courts.
Guatemala
(Translation). The Government of the Republic of Guatemala declares that, in accordance with article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution of stolen cultural objects, or for the return of illegally exported cultural objects may be brought under the procedure provided for in Article 16 (1) (b). The Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Guatemala shall be the authority designated to receive claims for the restitution or the return of cultural objects under Chapter III of the Convention.
Hungary
In accordance with Article 16, claims for the restitution, or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels.
In the Republic of Hungary the Ministry of Culture and Education shall forward the claims to the Capital Court, competent to settle the property claims.
Iran
(Translation). Claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State Party to the Convention under Article 8 may be submitted under the following procedures: 1) directly to the courts; 2) through diplomatic or consular channels.
Italy
The Government of the Italian Republic declares, pursuant to Article 16 of the Convention; that the claims for restitution or return of cultural property, stolen or illegally exported, will have to be brought before the Court of the place where the property is situated. In case that place is unknown or the property is not in the State, the request is made before the Court of the place where the defendant is resident or domiciled or, if these are unknown, before that of the place of the defendant’s home. If the defendant is a legal person or an unincorporated association, the provisions of Article 19 of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure will apply. Claims shall also be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels.
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
In accordance with paragraph 1 (c) of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution or requests for the return of the cultural objects shall be submitted to the Government Lao People’s Democratic Republic through diplomatic or consular channels.
Latvia
In accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, the Republic of Latvia declares that claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted directly to a court of law.
Lithuania
Whereas it is provided in Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention, the Republic of Lithuania declares that the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania is an authority which shall receive claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects, and shall forward them to the courts of the Republic of Lithuania.
Madagascar
Madagascar declares that, under Article 16(1) of the Convention, claims for restitution, or requests for return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8, will be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels.
Mexico
(Translation). In relation to Article 16(1)(a) and (c), requests for the return of, or claims for the restitution of, stolen or illegally exported cultural objects may be submitted directly to the competent courts or authorities, or through diplomatic or consular channels.
Montenegro
Montenegro hereby declares that in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted to it through diplomatic or consular channels.
Morocco
(Translation) In accordance with Article 16(1) of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, adopted in Rome on 24 June 1995, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco declares that claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted to it through an authority or authorities designated to receive such claims or requests and to forward them to the courts or other competent authorities (Article 16(1)(b)).
The authority designated for this purpose is:
Ministère de la Justice, Direction des Affaires Pénales et des Grâces
Email : dapg@justice.gov.ma
Tel. +212 537 218 482 / +212 537 218 487
Fax +212 537 703-347 / +212 537 202 909
Myanmar
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar declares that, under Article 16(1) of the Convention, claims for restitution, or requests for return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8, will be submitted through diplomatic channels.
New Zealand
The Government of New Zealand declares that, in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 of the Convention may be submitted through the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage being an authority designated by New Zealand to receive such claims or requests; or through diplomatic or consular channels.
North Macedonia
In accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted 1) directly to the courts of the declaring State; or 2) through diplomatic or consular channels.
Norway
In accordance with Article 16(1)(a), claims for the restitution or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8, may be submitted directly to the courts or the other competent authorities of Norway.
Panama
(Translation). Claims for restitution or return of cultural goods, submitted by a State under Article 8 of the Convention, may be filed in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 16(1)(b) thereof, and in default, according to the provisions in Article 16(1)(c).
Competent authorities for these purposes are the Ministry of Education, the National Cultural Institute (National Directorate of Historical Heritage) and those, which by law have jurisdiction over such offenses.
Paraguay
(Translation). The Republic of Paraguay declares, in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, that requests for the return, or claims for the restitution, of cultural objects, brought by a State under Article 8, may be submitted to the Republic of Paraguay through diplomatic or consular channels.
Peru
(Translation). The Republic of Peru declares, in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects, that requests for the return, or claims for the restitution, of cultural objects, brought by a State under Article 8, may be submitted to the Republic of Peru through judicial, diplomatic or consular channels.
Portugal
The Portuguese Republic declares, in accordance with Article 16 of the Convention that claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted by another State in accordance with the procedure referred to in subparagraph (b), paragraph 1 of the said article.
The Polícia Judiciária (Criminal Police) is the authority designated to receive claims or requests formulated under Article 8 of the Convention.
Romania
(Translation). Under Article 16 of the Convention, Romania declares that requests for return or restitution of cultural property brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted through one or more designated authorities by the State to receive such requests and forward them to the courts or other competent authorities of the State.
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic declares that in accordance with the national law of the Slovak Republic only the procedure according to Article 16, paragraph 1, subparagraph (c) of the Convention may be applied.
Slovenia
In compliance with Article 16 of the Convention, the Ministry of Culture is the authority which shall receive claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects, and shall forward them to the courts of the Republic of Slovenia.
South Africa
In accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, South Africa declares that claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted to it through diplomatic or consular channels.
Spain
(Translation). Requests for the restitution or return of cultural objects, submitted by a State in accordance with Article 8 of the Convention, may be submitted under the procedure provided for in Article 16 (b) of the Convention. For that purpose, the competent authority shall be understood to be the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport (General Directorate of fine arts and cultural objects).
Syrian Arab Republic
The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic declares that in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution or requests for the return of cultural objects may be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels (Article 16(1)(c)) and exclusively through the Permanent Delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic to UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
Sweden
In accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 16 of the Convention, requests for the return of illegally exported cultural objects and other related issues may be submitted directly to a general court, and claims for the restitution of stolen cultural objects and related issues may be submitted to a general court or to the Swedish Enforcement Authority.
Togo
(Translation) In accordance with Article 16, paragraph 1 of the Convention, claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted to Togo under the procedures which Togo approves: a) directly to the courts or other competent authorities; and c) through diplomatic or consular channels.
Tunisia
(Translation). The Republic of Tunisia declares, in accordance with Article 16(1) of the Convention, that claims for restitution or return of cultural objects may be submitted according to the procedures provided for under Article 16(1)(a) and (c).
Yemen
The Government of the Republic of Yemen hereby declares that in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the Convention, claims for the restitution, or requests for the return, of cultural objects brought by a State under Article 8 may be submitted through diplomatic or consular channels.
Professor Iacopo Donati is the UNIDROIT/Bank of Italy Chair Holder and is mainly responsible for assisting in the Bank Insolvency project. He is Professor of Corporate and Insolvency Law at the University of Siena, and coordinates the research project ‘Pro.Re.Ba.’ (Proportionating rules on bank crisis prevention and management to the case of retail banks), which has received funding from the Italian Ministry of University. He has previously taught corporate law at the University of Venice ‘Ca’ Foscari’, at the University of Florence and at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’.
Professor Donati is the author of several publications on corporate law, restructuring, insolvency law, and bank crisis management. On the same topics, he has been invited as a speaker to various international and national conferences and participated in some high-impact international, European, and national research projects. Professor Donati’s education includes a Ph.D. in Corporate Law (University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’), an LLM in Corporate Governance (Stanford Law School), and a Law Degree with honors (University of Florence). He is qualified as an attorney in Italy and in the State of New York (USA).
Ms Olga Fonotova is an Associate Professor of the Faculty of Law (Department of Legal Regulation of Business) at the Russian National Research University “Higher School of Economics” in Moscow. She holds a PhD degree cum laude in private law / private international law from the Lomonosov Moscow State University (2006). Her academic and teaching interests cover private international law, international and national commercial law, with a focus on unified and non-state legal regulation of cross-border commerce.
Olga is a Russian law qualified practicing lawyer in the sphere of national and international commercial and corporate law with 20+ years’ experience in leading law firms. As part of her legal practice, she has advised multinational corporations on the setting up of multi-jurisdictional commercial relations, on the formation / termination of international joint ventures, restructuring of assets, and financing / refinancing of projects. For her work on commercial and corporate legal matters she was included in the international rating of leading lawyers “The Best Lawyers® in Russia” (2018 – 2022).
She is a UNIDROIT alumna (2011) and a Correspondent of UNIDROIT in Russia (2023 – 2025). From 2016 to 2021 Olga was a member of the ICC Commission on Commercial Law and Practice (ICC CLP) and a member of the Association of European Business (AEB) in Moscow.
Allan M. Mukuki, PhD Candidate (Navarra, Spain), LLM (Groningen, Netherlands), PGDip (KSL), LLB (Hons) (UoN), ACIArb (London), Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
Allan Mukuki is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya as well as a Commissioner for Oaths. He is presently a PhD Candidate at the University of Navarra in Spain. He is also a holder of an LL.M in International Law and the Law of International Organizations, from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He has an LL. B (Hons) from the University of Nairobi, he is a Member of the Cha
rtered Institute of Arbitrators (London). He further holds a post-graduate diploma in law from the Kenya School of Law. Allan is also a scholar from the Hague Academy of International Law.
Some of his many roles in the legal profession include Director of International Partnerships; a Doctoral Fellow; member of the Management Committee and moot court coordinator, all for Strathmore Law School; Research Fellow for the African Region (Kenya), for the European Research Council Grant Project on the interpretation of customary international law; and Acting Director for the Strathmore Institute of Advanced Studies in International Criminal Justice (SIASIC)
Allan has previously worked at A.F Gross Advocate; in various legal institutes; in governmental agencies and in the Judiciary of Kenya. He was also a Legal researcher in the Office of the Solicitor General, Kenya, for the Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya), a case that was before the International Court of Justice. His main areas of specialization include Public International Law, The Law of International Organizations, International Humanitarian Law, International and Regional (EAC) Refugee Law and Legal Policy Development.
Further, Allan has been involved in various national and international legal consultancies and projects; he has published several peer reviewed legal articles, a legal monograph and presented several legal papers in international conferences around the world. He has also developed several policy documents for Strathmore University as well as (currently operational) manuals and laws for the operation of the Judiciary as well as governmental agencies and regional agencies such as IGAD.
ANDREA SANTACOLOMA
Director
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Andrea Santacoloma is a Panamanian lawyer that focuses her practice on international commercial arbitration.
Prior to joining Adell & Merizalde, Andrea was the Deputy Director for Latin America of the ICC International Court of Arbitration for 5 years. In this role, she gained vast experience in the internal functioning of the ICC’s Secretariat and Court and saw first-hand the work of hundreds of arbitrators and ICC Court Members in the region. Andrea was also in charge of identifying new opportunities and potential users of the ICC Dispute Resolution Services (ICC DRS) in Latin America, in liaison with the ICC National Committees and other institutions in the region. She also worked as a lawyer advising local and international clients on business and corporate law and M&A in 3 Panamanian law firms.
She is currently the Executive Director of the Latin American Arbitration Association (ALARB), one of Latin America’s leading associations gathering practitioners and arbitrators, which seeks to encourage the use of arbitration and foster initiatives for the development of international arbitration in the region.
In July 2022, the G
overning Council of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) appointed Andrea as a Correspondent for Latin America. Namely, Andrea was appointed as a Correspondent for the Republic of Panama for the period 2022-2025.
EDUCATION
• American University Washington College of Law, LL.M. in International Arbitration and Business Law
• International Training Centre of the International Labor Organization (ILO) jointly with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Università degli Studi di Torino, and University Institute of European Studies (IUSE), LL.M. in International Trade Law & Dispute Resolution
• Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, LL.M. in Corporate Law
• Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua, Degree in Law and Political Science
• Centro de Estudios Regionales de Panamá, Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Management of Small and Medium Enterprises
Bar admissions
Republic of Panama
Languages
Spanish, English, Italian (intermediate)
asantacoloma@adellmerizalde.com
+507 370 4155
NAME: PROF. DR. HERNANY VEYTIA (LL.M. YALE)
AFFILIATION DIRECTOR BNM-CAMBRIDGE STUDY CENTRE ON SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS
PRESENTATION
Professor of law, international strategic consultant, arbitrator, and entrepreneur. Hernany Veytia is very comfortable with complex, high-profile and confidential transactions. Her consulting experience as partner of BNM and Deloitte enables her to focus on and add value to the sustainable and commercial aspects of each deal. Frequently she leads transdisciplinary teams to deliver fact findings and legal opinions, feasibility studies and turn-key projects for banks, governments, international organisations, and corporations willing to expand or withdraw operations in other jurisdictions.
In Prof Veytia’s experience UNIDROIT works have been very useful to understand not only the foreign law, but also to recognise the cultural, political, and economic factors at play, and the way national and international regulators operate-and cooperate. In her opinion, UNIDROIT instruments have been of utmost importance for the legal strategies she designed for:
• DANPREIT (Dispute Analytics Platform for Real Estate Investment Trusts in the Agriculture, Construction and Mining industries).
• TELEKAIROS, innovative methodology that incorporates the use of space assets.
• Corporate art collections, restitutions, including donations, sponsorships, and loans to museums.
• Contracts used by a German waterworks company willing to grow in all the Caribbean and Central American countries.
• Liquidation of commercial and investment banks
• IPOs and reverse mergers for companies in the extraction industries (Canadian stock exchange), ILS listed in Bermuda and African sovereign funds listed in London.
• Franchising and other commercial contracts in the food & drinks, health, aero-space, and automotive industries.
In the last three decades Prof. Veytia has lived, and successfully completed investments and disinvestments in more than forty countries in the five Continents. She is frequently appointed as arbitrator and invited as speaker on risk transfers at international industry conferences in fields of her expertise: energy (both renewable and traditional), artificial intelligence, infrastructure, mining, real estate, agriculture, rail, space, automotive, and franchising. She sits in the board of directors of companies in Europe including the United Kingdom.
Anna Veneziano is the Deputy Secretary General of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT). She is a Professor of Comparative Law at the University of Teramo, Italy, where she was formerly the Director of the Department of Private Law. She has also formerly been a tenured Professor of European Property Law at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Her education includes a Law Degree with honours from the University of Rome La Sapienza, an LL.M degree from the Yale Law School funded by a Fulbright scholarship, and a PhD degree from the University of Florence (Italy).
Her main research and publication areas are on secured transactions as well as international, comparative, and European contract and sales law. Before joining UNIDROIT she was a member of the Italian delegation with respect to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests on Mobile Equipment and its Aircraft Protocol as well as its Space Protocol. She was also a member of the Study Group on a European Civil Code and of the Compilation and Redaction Group on a Draft Common Frame of Reference on European Private Law (DCFR), and of the restricted Expert Group set up by the European Commission on a common European law on sales.
P
rofessor Ignacio Tirado was appointed Secretary-General by the Governing Council at its 97th session, and officially took office on 27 August 2018. A national of Spain, Professor Tirado (Commercial, Corporate and Insolvency Law, Universidad Autónoma of Madrid, Spain) holds a PhD from the Universities of Bologna and Autónoma de Madrid and an LLM from the University of London. Professor Tirado has been a Senior Legal Consultant at the World Bank’s Legal Vice-Presidency and Financial Sector Practice for more than nine years, having also consulted for the IMF on insolvency related matters as well as for the Asian Development Bank on commercial legal reform.
Amongst other accolades to his professional experience, Professor Tirado is a founding member of the European Banking Institute, an International Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and has been Director and Academic Co-Chair of the International Insolvency Institute.
A Swedish national, Ms Lena Peters grew up in Italy where she attended an English school. In 1978 she took her Juris Kandidatexamen at Stockholm University followed by a Master of Laws from King’s College, London (1979). Since 1985 she has been with UNIDROIT, first as Research Officer, lastly as Principal Legal Officer, her main duties being Secretary to the Working Group for the Preparation of Principles of International Commercial Contracts, Secretary to the Study Group on Franchising, Secretary to the Committee of Governmental Experts on Franchising.She also collaborated on the project for the preparation of the ELI-Unidroit Model European Rules of Civil Procedure. She is currently Managing Editor of the Uniform Law Review and responsible for publications at UNIDROIT.
Marina Schneider is Principal Legal Officer and Treaty Depositary at UNIDROIT. She studied law at the University of Strasbourg (France) and Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne. She joined the UNIDROIT in 1987 and was involved in the elaboration and French versions of most UNIDROIT instruments since. She is in charge of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and of the UNESCO-UNIDROIT Model Provisions on State Ownership of Undiscovered Cultural Objects. She is the author of the Explanatory Report of the 1995 Convention and many articles on the Convention and other international instruments in the field. Ms Schneider is also responsible for the project on private collections and for the UNIDROIT Convention Academic Project (UCAP). She is member of the Board of the International Society for Research on Art and Cultural Heritage Law (ISCHAL).
Professor of Commercial Law, Carlos III University of Madrid. Currently, Sir Roy Goode Scholar at UNIDROIT, Rome, 2021-2022. Chair of Excellence 2017-2018 at University of Oxford (Uc3m- Santander Program), affiliated to Harris Manchester College. Previously Distinguished Visiting Professor and fellow of a number of Academic Institutions. Arbitrator of Madrid Court of Arbitration. Member of ELI (European Law Institute) Council and Executive Committee. Member of the Expert Group of the European Commission on Liability and New Technologies and member of the Expert Group of the European Observatory of Platform Economy; the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law; the expert group of the Inclusive Global Legal Innovation Platform for Online Dispute Resolution – UNCITRAL and Hong Kong Department of Justice. Expert of the UNIDROIT Study Group on the MAC Protocol of the Cape Town Convention on International Interests. Delegate of Spain to UNIDROIT for the adoption of the Protocol, delegate of Spain in Working Group VI of UNCITRAL on secured transactions and in Working Group IV on Electronic Commerce. Member of UNIDROIT Working Groups on Enforcement and Warehouse Receipts.
William Brydie-Watson is an Australian lawyer who specialises in secured transactions law and private international law. Before joining UNIDROIT, William was a government lawyer in the Private International Law and International Arbitration section of the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, where he worked primarily on treaty negotiation and the implementation of private international law treaties in Australia. At UNIDROIT, he is primarily responsible for the implementation of the Mining, Agriculture and Construction (MAC Protocol) to the 2001 Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and the development of a Model Law on Factoring. William also serves as UNIDROIT’s liaison with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and as manager of the Institute’s Scholarship and Internship Programme. Admitted to practice in New South Wales and the High Court of Australia, he has a Bachelor of Arts (honours), a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws from the Australian National University. William also lectures on International Secured Transactions Law at the Eotvos Lorand Faculty of Law in Budapest.
