Amal Clooney is back in Athens, and her visit is drawing international attention for the second time in 12 years. The Br...
Written on 09/10/2026
theatlaswiregreece
Amal Clooney is back in Athens, and her visit is drawing international attention for the second time in 12 years. The British human rights lawyer is in the Greek capital as a guest of UNESCO, attending a series of events focused on cultural heritage protection and the challenges artificial intelligence poses to global culture.
The visit carries obvious symbolic weight. In October 2014, Clooney joined an international legal team advising the Greek government on its options for recovering the Parthenon Sculptures from the British Museum. Her meetings with Greek officials, her visit to the Acropolis, and her public statements at the time reignited global debate over the marbles and gave Greece's repatriation push a major platform.
This time her role is institutional. She was invited by Constantza Spocou Konstantakopoulou, the newly appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Protection and Promotion of Culture, to attend the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors Meeting in Athens.
During her stay, Clooney is participating in a closed-door event at the Temple of Olympian Zeus titled "Artificial Intelligence and Culture," where discussions will center on the risks digital technologies pose to cultural heritage and the role international organizations must play in protecting it. The day concludes with a formal dinner at the Acropolis Museum, bringing together figures from diplomacy, culture, and civil society.
Proceeds from the dinner will go toward the UNESCO Culture Fund, which works to combat illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts and protect monuments threatened by war, natural disasters, and looting.
The last time Clooney appeared at the Acropolis Museum, in 2014, she used the occasion to publicly call on Britain to return the sculptures. Twelve years later, the marbles are still in London, but her return to Athens is a reminder that the issue has never gone away.
#AmalClooney #ParthenonMarbles #UNESCO

