On March 2, 2023, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Policy, Rafik Mansour, convened the 16 member agencies of the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee (CHCC). The Committee discussed ongoing efforts in Ukraine, the condition of cultural heritage sites and collections affected by the recent earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, and recent international engagement.
The Cultural Heritage Center detailed its recent announcement of $7 million in funding to establish the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative. This will include urgent preservation, protection and repair of Ukrainian cultural heritage sites and collections damaged during the war. The Committee also discussed the February earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria causing widespread damage to cultural heritage, including museums and historic places of worship. U.S. import restrictions on certain cultural objects from Türkiye and Syria are in effect and provide the Committee’s law enforcement members with effective tools to prevent looting, theft, and trafficking, which often increase after large scale disasters.
The Committee spoke about recent international engagements at the Organization of American States Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture in Antigua, Guatemala, and the G20 Culture Working Group meeting in Khajuraho, India. The group conferred on the Smithsonian Institution’s new Statement on Human Remains and applauded a shared stewardship agreement recently concluded with the Republic of Yemen Government.
The U.S. Department of State established the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee in 2016 to coordinate U.S. government efforts to protect and preserve cultural property internationally when it is at risk from political instability, armed conflict, or natural or other disasters.
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