The Cultural Property Advisory Committee will meet October 29 – 30, 2019, to review new requests for cultural property agreements from Morocco and Yemen. The Committee invites public comment on the requests. The public may participate in the virtual open session of the meeting on October 29, 2019, from 1:30 to 2:30 pm EDT.
Morocco’s Request
The Government of Morocco has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological material. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. More information on Morocco’s request can be found here.
Yemen’s Request
The Government of Yemen has requested U.S. import restrictions on archaeological material and ethnological material. This request was submitted pursuant to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property as implemented by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. More information on Yemen’s request can be found here.
The Review Process
The State Department will follow these procedures as it weighs responses to the requests for agreements from Morocco and Yemen.
Comments on the Morocco and Yemen Requests
Public comments on these requests should focus on the four determinations described in the procedures above. All comments must be submitted in writing no later than October 15, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT). Use regulations.gov, enter docket DOS-2019-0031, and follow the prompts to submit written comments.
Participate in the Virtual Open Session
The virtual open session of the Committee meeting will be held on October 29 from 1:30 pm to approximately 2:30 pm EDT using Zoom, a web conferencing service. Anyone may attend and/or participate. If you are new to Zoom, these tips will help you get started. If needed, please request reasonable accommodation not later than October 15 by contacting the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at culprop@state.gov. Requests made after that date will be considered, but it may not be possible to fulfill them.
To participate
If you wish to participate in the open session at the meeting, you must request to be scheduled by October 23, 2019, via email (culprop@state.gov) in order to be guaranteed a slot. Please submit your name and organizational affiliation in this request. After you pre-register, you will be provided with instructions on how to participate.
The open session will start with a brief presentation by the Committee, after which participants should be prepared to answer questions on any written statements they may have submitted. Finally, participants may provide additional oral comments for up to five (5) minutes per participant. Due to time constraints, it may not be possible to accommodate all who wish to speak.
To observe
It is not necessary to pre-register. The webinar will include a chat space for conversation among observers. The chat space will not be monitored by the Committee and will not be incorporated into the record of the meeting.
To join as an observer:
Click the link to join the webinar: https://eca-state.zoom.us/j/657529950
Or by Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833
Webinar ID: 657 529 950
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aciF0sNigl
