1. U.S. Returns Stolen Artifacts to China

   After making its largest discovery of cultural property ever — 42,000 artifacts from around the world — at one U.S. home, the FBI has begun packing up and sending many of the items to the People’s Republic of China, where they belong.

2. Preserving Albania’s centuries-old sites

   When Albania was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake last year, 51 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured. The disaster also damaged the ancient fortifications of Krujë, Durrës and Prezë.

3. Digital Documentation and Storytelling Build Greater Appreciation for Jordan’s Cultural Heritage

   An inventory and storage upgrade project supported by the State Department at the Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum was put on hold in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. ECA’s Virtual Sports Visitor Alumni Summit Connects Youth from 18 Countries around the Globe

   This month, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) Sports Diplomacy Division, in conjunction with FHI 360, kicked off its Virtual Sports Visitor Youth Alumni Summit with participation from approximately 40 youth athlete alumni representing 18 countries around the world.

5. ECA Hosted a Virtual Film Screening of the Documentary “City of Ali” for U.S. Embassies around the World

   ECA Hosted a Virtual Film Screening of the Documentary “City of Ali” for U.S. Embassies around the World.

6. Cultural Heritage Game Jam Winners Honored at Expo2020

   The winners of the Cultural Heritage Game Jam were announced on December 16, 2021, at the USA Pavilion at Expo2020 in Dubai.

7. Smithsonian/CHCC Cultural Property Anti-Trafficking Workshop

   The U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Antiquities Task Force (CATF) held a virtual training workshop for law enforcement officials from the United States to enhance their knowledge of cultural property of Indigenous and Native Peoples of North America and build their capacity to protect Indigenous heritage by disrupting its trafficking.

8. 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.   

9. From Vision to Impact: Women Entrepreneurs Flourish in Embassy Mexico’s National Pitch Competition

   In 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and U.S. Embassy Mexico City collaborated with AT&T Mexico on ECA’s Academy for Women Entrepreneurs’ (AWE) local and national pitch competitions.

10. U.S. Returns Lost Treasures of Korea

    Priceless treasures from Korea’s Joseon Dynasty are on a journey home, after the U.S. government returned two royal seals to dignitaries from the Republic of Korea during a June 30 ceremony in Washington.

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