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International Cultural Property Protection Banner
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Link to Protecting Cultural Property Worldwide Section   Black Vertical Line   U.S. Response Banner

 
Link to The U.S. Response Section
Link to Overview
Link to ImplementationLinks to Image Database

Link to U.S. and International Laws Section

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Image of Maya Polychrome Painted Vase from Guatemala

Research this area with these links

 Overview -- information on the process by which the Act is implemented, committee composition, staff, and frequently asked questions.

 Implementation -- information on protection offered to specific countries including text of any agreements and Federal Register notices of import restrictions.

Image Database -- illustrations of categories of objects subject to import restriction.

Chart -- graphic table of current and expired cultural property agreements.

  The Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act enables the United States to implement the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The Act allows the United States to impose import restrictions on certain categories of archaeological or ethnological material, the pillage of which places a nation's cultural patrimony in jeopardy. The ultimate goal of this international framework of cooperation is to reduce the incentive for pillage which causes an irretrievable loss of information about our universal heritage. The U.S. was the first major art-importing country to ratify the 1970 UNESCO Convention. The European market nations of France, Japan, and the United Kingdom have now ratified the Convention.
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Revised: January 3, 2003