Kick-off event of the academic year 2025-2026 of the Master’s Degree in International Security Studies

The Kick-off event of the academic year 2025-2026 of the Master’s Degree in International Security Studies program is scheduled for September 19, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. (Aula Magna). 

Details in the attached poster.

Abstract - "Protecting art in situations of armed conflict and emergency”

Cultural heritage has been historically endangered by wars and political violence, either as collateral damage in military operations during an armed conflict or as the intentional target of insurgents, criminals, and terrorists. Iconic and paradigmatic cases of cultural destruction include the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in 2001 and the Timbuktu Shrines in Mali in 2012. In Ukraine, over 485 cultural sites have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of hostilities. Cultural heritage is also largely affected by both natural and human-made disasters. Climate change, which lies behind the increasing frequency and intensity of some natural disasters (such as inundations, earthquakes, droughts, wildfires, and landslides) is exposing cultural heritage to new threats. Likewise, also human-made disasters, such as Beirut's blast in Lebanon or the breach of the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, have resulted in the destruction of important cultural sites. The international community has established several specialized agencies tasked with cultural heritage protection, including UNESCO. Regional organizations, such as the European Union, have been actively involved in the protection and preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. Among national States, Italy has for a long time played a central role in the international field of cultural heritage protection. During this conference, the experts on the protection of cultural heritage Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO (2009-2017), Luigi Marini, Former Justice and Secretary general of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation and Legal adviser at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations (2014-2020), and Marc-André Renold, Honorary Professor of Art and Cultural Heritage Law at the University of Geneva, will explore different pathways to enhance the safeguards of cultural heritage in situations of armed conflict and emergency.