Renewal of the Charter of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Office of the Spokesperson

The U.S. Department of State renewed the Charter of the Cultural Property Advisory Committee.  The Committee was established by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (Public Law 97-446) to provide recommendations regarding requests for assistance from foreign governments under the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

The Committee carries out investigation and review of foreign government requests and provides recommendations to the State Department regarding agreements or emergency actions that create import restrictions on designated archaeological and/or ethnological material.  The Committee also undertakes continuing review of the effectiveness of cultural property agreements and emergency actions.

The presidentially-appointed members include individuals representing the interests of museums; experts in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, or related areas; experts in the international sale of archaeological, ethnological, and other cultural property; and individuals who represent the interests of the general public.