Protecting Heritage through Partnership: Why U.S. Antiquities CPAs are Essential for At-Risk Nations
By Deborah Lehr
December 16, 2024
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry Shaking Hands After Signing a U.S.-Egypt Cultural Property Agreement, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on November 30, 2016. Source: State Department photo/ Public Domain Video here.
Your Talking Points
Antiquities cultural property agreements (CPAs) with the United States are an essential tool for countries to combat the illicit antiquities trade and recover their stolen property from the American art market.
These agreements empower nations to work with the U.S. in blocking illegal imports of their cultural artifacts, while allowing the legitimate trade to continue and even thrive.
Countries facing threats to their antiquities should take advantage of these CPAs to protect their heritage for future generations.
What Happened
In a world where cultural artifacts can be plundered from archaeological sites, whisked away across borders, and then laundered onto the black market within just days or even hours, nations need robust, collaborative strategies to fight back.
The United States has taken a step toward addressing this problem by signing cultural property agreements (CPAs) with countries threatened by the illicit antiquities trade. These agreements serve as vital tools to help protect at-risk antiquities—and the sites where they are found—by allowing the U.S. to restrict the import of stolen or illegally exported cultural objects. For the many nations who qualify, pursuing a CPA with the United States is not just a protective measure—it is an important safeguard for preserving their history and identity.
Digging Deeper
The Antiquities CPA: A Shield Against Cultural Theft
Antiquities CPAs enable the United States, the world’s largest art market, to impose additional requirements on importers bringing in high-risk antiquities and other artifacts from partner countries.
Eric Garcette, U.S. Ambassador to India, and Govind Mohan, Secretary of Indian Ministry of Culture Signing a Cultural Property Agreement on July 26, 2024, Source: US Mission in India
If not provided, U.S. authorities may detail or even seize the pieces and then return them to their country of origin, if justified by law. This imposes only a minor burden on legitimate importers while serving as a powerful tool for law enforcement. Countries that negotiate these agreements with the U.S. gain the support of its legal mechanisms, helping to prevent looted artifacts from entering American markets and ultimately reaching private collections or museums far from their place of origin. At the same time, good faith consumers also benefit, as they are protected from unknowingly buying stolen property.
This protection is crucial. In times of political instability, war, or economic hardship, the cultural heritage of vulnerable nations is at heightened risk.
Looting not only robs a nation of its history but also fuels organized crime, armed conflict, and terrorist activities that destabilize societies further.
By entering into a CPA, a country signals its commitment to combatting these activities and preserving its heritage. It also benefits from a partnership that provides legal and procedural support in tracking and reclaiming artifacts when they surface abroad.
Benefits Beyond Borders
Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Lee Satterfield, and Ambassador of Yemen to the United States, Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, Signing a Cultural Property Agreement on August 30, 2023, Source: U.S. Mission to Yemen
Beyond safeguarding individual artifacts, antiquities CPAs offer broader, lasting benefits.
These agreements foster cross-border collaboration, encouraging knowledge-sharing, technical support, and public awareness of cultural preservation. For example, they often include provisions for cultural exchange programs, long-term museum loans, traveling exhibitions, capacity-building initiatives, and conservation projects—all of which strengthen a nation’s ability to protect its heritage and make it accessible to the world in a responsible way.
Additionally, countries with CPAs in place have experienced greater success in recovering stolen antiquities and stopping smuggling networks.
The legal foundation established by a CPA empowers governments to collaborate on investigations, prosecutions, and recoveries, working together across borders. For nations that might lack resources to tackle these crimes alone, a CPA with the U.S. provides invaluable support.
From left to right: U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, William A. Heidt, and Cambodia’s Minister of Culture, Her Excellency Phoeung Sackona, Signing a Joint Statement Recognizing the Recent Extension of the Cultural Property Agreement between the United States and Cambodia on November 6, 2018, Source: Cultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State; Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs I. Steven Goldstein and Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Under Secretary for Political Affairs Lutfi Almughrabi sign a Cultural Property Agreement on February 23, 2018, Source: Cultural Heritage Center, U.S. Department of State; Ambassador, Joey Hood, and Minister of Cultural Affairs, Hayet Guettat Guermazi, Signing a Cultural Property Agreement for Tunisia in March of 2023, Source: US Embassy Tunisia
A Call to Action for At-Risk Nations
For nations facing threats to their antiquities, negotiating a CPA is a proactive step that can prevent irrevocable losses.
In recent years, cultural powerhouses such as Egypt, China, India, and Italy have benefited from these agreements, which have helped protect priceless artifacts from being trafficked across international borders. Each nation’s heritage is unique, but the threats they face are often similar, making cooperation through CPAs an effective strategy in the fight against cultural trafficking.
The path to a CPA may require time and negotiation, but the benefits are clear and far-reaching. With a CPA, countries gain a partnership with the United States, aligning their interests with the world’s largest markets for antiquities. They join a network of nations committed to combating cultural racketeering, sending a clear message that they will not allow their heritage to be stolen and sold.
At a time when cultural heritage is increasingly under threat, the need for these agreements has never been more urgent.
Every artifact preserved, every site protected, and every partnership formed is a step toward a world that values and respects the cultural treasures that connect us all.
U.S. and Uzbekistan Signing the First-ever Bilateral Cultural Property Agreement in Central Asia on November 7, 2023, Source: US Embassy in Tashkent, Instagram
Published by Basilinna Institute. All rights reserved.
