Issue: Public Diplomacy and the Protection of Cultural Property

Issue

As welcoming and trusted community anchors, museums are perfectly positioned to help build cross-cultural relationships, which are enhanced by collections that span the world across centuries. In recent years, irreplaceable cultural property has been lost in places like Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Mali, and Afghanistan. Protecting this property is a vital part of United States diplomacy, showing the respect of the United States for other cultures and the common heritage of humanity. American museums and the conservation professionals who work with them are some of the world’s best at protecting and caring for cultural property.

We urge Congress to pursue measures that protect cultural property around the world and to consider museums and conservation professionals as part of the solution to these issues.

Supporting Letters and Testimony

• American Alliance of Museums Condemns the Targeting of Cultural Sites for Destruction
• Joint Statement on US Decision to Withdraw from UNESCO
• 13 Organizations Urge Congress to Allow U.S. Payment of UNESCO World Heritage Dues
• Alliance Endorses H.R. 1493, the Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act
• Alliance Endorses Legislation to Facilitate International Cultural Property Exchanges 
• See more about the Alliance’s Museums Connect Program (Video)