1. United States and Libya Sign Agreement to Protect Libya’s Cultural Heritage

   On February 23, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs I. Steven Goldstein and Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Under Secretary for Political Affairs Lutfi Almughrabi signed a landmark bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on cultural property protection at a ceremony at the U.S. Department of State’s Treaty Room.

2. Cultural Heritage Center

   The Cultural Heritage Center works with governmental and non-governmental organizations to protect and preserve the world's cultural heritage. It administers the Cultural Property Protection program, the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Iraq Cultural Heritage Initiative, and other special cultural heritage programs.

3. Cultural Antiquities Task Force Organizes Law Enforcement Workshops in Cambodia and Ecuador

   Police and archaeologists team up to protect heritage sites.

4. United States and Turkey Work Together to Protect Cultural Heritage

   January 19, 2021. Ankara, Turkey: The United States and Turkey signed a new bilateral cultural property agreement that solidifies our shared commitment to combat looting and trafficking of cultural artifacts.

5. Cultural Antiquities Task Force and Colombian Officials Partner for a Seminar on Cultural Heritage Protection

   From October 10-12, 2018, members of the Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF), the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, and the Colombian Ministry of Culture held a seminar on cultural heritage protection and preservation in Bogota, Colombia.

6. Cultural Antiquities Task Force Sponsors Workshops for Peruvian National Police, Government and Cultural Officials

   Law enforcement and cultural heritage experts from across the U.S. government recently partnered in Lima for a series of workshops that trained more than 70 representatives from the Peruvian National Police, government, cultural entities, and church archdioceses on enforcing cultural heritage law.  

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

Pages