1. Russia’s Threat to Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage Affects Us All

   The United States stands with Ukraine in its valiant efforts to protect its cultural heritage in the face of Russia’s horrific attacks causing loss of life and damage to property. The destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage is an attack on the identity of the people of Ukraine. Moreover, any intentional attacks on cultural property may violate the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

2. Cultural Antiquities Task Force Conducts Law Enforcement Workshops in Greece and Qatar

   Nexus between the climate crisis and cultural property trafficking explored in Athens and Doha.

3. United States and Italy Mark Fifteenth Anniversary of Memorandum to Protect Italian Cultural Heritage

   On January 19, 2016 the Governments of the United States and the Italian Republic extended for the third time.

4. U.S. Department of State Partners with International Council of Museums to Fight Illicit Traffic of West African Cultural Heritage

   In response to the conflict in Mali in 2012, and in order to fight the looting of West African cultural heritage, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) have published a Red List of West African Cultural Objects at Risk, including a Mali "Emergency" section funded by ECA’s Cultural Heritage Center.

5. U.S. Department of State Partners with International Council of Museums to Fight Illicit Traffic of Yemeni Cultural Heritage

   In response to the civil war in Yemen in 2015-2016 and in an effort to help protect endangered Yemeni art and antiquities for future generations, the Department of State asked the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to produce an Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk for Yemen. It was launched at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on January 31.

6. Assistant Secretary Satterfield Leads Meeting of Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee

   On April 12, 2022, the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Lee Satterfield, convened the 16 member agencies of the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee (CHCC).

7. Cultural Antiquities Task Force Conducts Law Enforcement Trainings in Cyprus, Greenland, and Egypt

   The State Department-led Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) recently resumed in-person training for foreign law enforcement officials through a series of workshops held in May 2022 in Cyprus, Greenland, and Egypt.

8. Cultural Antiquities Task Force Conducts Training Countering the Trafficking of Paleontological Resources

   The U.S. Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF), coordinated by the U.S. Department of State, held a virtual training workshop for law enforcement officials from the United States to enhance their knowledge of paleontological resources and build their capacity to protect those materials by disrupting trafficking in them.

9. Cultural Heritage Coordination Committee Meeting

   The Interagency Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee conducted its third quarterly meeting. The meeting was chaired by Scott Weinhold, Senior Bureau Official of the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which chairs the committee and serves as its secretariate.   

10. Announcing the Cultural Heritage Game Jam

    The Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is diving into the world of video games.

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