International Advocacy
The United States is a party to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. This Convention has been ratified by the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. § § 2601-13), under this, to fulfill the United States' obligations, the Cultural Property Advisory Committee shall meet to review requested cultural property protections.
Below is a selection of LCCHP's position statements regarding these requests.
Proposed US-Kingdom of Morocco and US-Republic of Yemen Agreements
The LCCHP submitted a letter to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee in support of both the Republic of Yemen, and the Kingdom of Morocco's requests to impose import restrictions on archaeological and ethnological materials.
Extension of the US-Cambodia Bilateral Agreement
The Lawyers' Committee submitted a letter to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee in support of the extension of the bilateral agreement between the United States and Cambodia that restricts the import into the United States of undocumented archaeological materials.
Extension of the US-Italy Bilateral Agreement
LCCHP submitted a letter to the Cultural Property Advocacy Committee of the State Department of the United States in favor of the renewal of the Memorandum of Understand between the United States and Italy.
Proposed US-Egypt Bilateral Agreement
LCCHP submitted a letter to the U.S. State Department's Cultural Property Advisory Committee in support of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Extension of the US-China Bilateral Agreement
The Lawyers' Committee submitted the following statement to the Cultural Property Advisory Committee in support of a five-year extension of the 2009 bilateral agreement between the United States and China. The agreement restricts the import into the United States of categories of archaeological materials from the beginning of the Paleolithic Period (75,000 B.C.) through the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 907), and monumental sculpture and wall art at least 250 years old.
Interim Review of the US-Italy Bilateral Agreement
The Lawyers' Committee responded to a request for public comment on Article II as part of the interim review of the US-Italy bilateral agreement that restricts the import of pre-Classical, Classical, and Imperial Roman archaeological material from Italy into the United States.Testimony Supporting the 1954 Hague Convention
The following written testimony was submitted by the Lawyers' Committee, the U.S. Committee for the Blue Shield, the Archaeological Institute of America and twelve other cultural preservation organizations to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention. On September 25, 2008, the U.S. Senate voted to give its advice and consent to U.S. ratification of the treaty.
Letter to Joe Biden Supporting the 1954 Hague Convention
The Lawyers' Committee submitted a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair, Senator Joseph Biden, to schedule hearings on the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Amendment of the US-Cyprus Bilateral Agreement
Cyprus requested that ancient coins be included as a designated category of archaeological materials whose import into the United States would be subject to import restriction in the extension and amendment of its bilateral agreement. The Lawyers' Committee submitted a letter in support of this amendment to the US Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee.
Extension of the US-Cyprus Bilateral Agreement
Cyprus requested an extension of the agreement between the United States and Cyprus that restricts the import of designated categories of Pre-Classical and Classical archaeological materials and Byzantine ecclesiastical ethnological materials. The Lawyers' Committee submitted a letter in support of extension to the US Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee.
Extension of the US-Italy Bilateral Agreement
In 2005 and again in 2010, Italy requested an extension of the 2001 agreement between the United States and Italy that restricts the import of designated categories of Pre-Classical and Classical archaeological materials. The Lawyers' Committee submitted oral comments and written statements in support of the extensions to the US Department of State Cultural Property Advisory Committee.