On 15 June 2026, an official ceremony to return palaeontological collections took place in Addis Ababa, attended by the Ethiopian Heritage Authority, the French Centre for Ethiopian Studies (CFEE), CEREGE and several scientific and institutional partners.
The samples in question had been discovered in Ethiopia during scientific expeditions carried out in the 1960s and 1970s. Having been held at CEREGE for several decades as part of long-standing Franco-Ethiopian scientific collaborations, they have been officially handed over to the Ethiopian authorities to be added to the national collections.
CEREGE is proud to have contributed to this initiative, which illustrates the importance of international partnerships in advancing scientific knowledge and promoting World Heritage.
