TREATIES AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ACTS SERIES 13-806.1

________________________________________________________________________

CULTURAL PROPERTY

Agreement Between the 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

and CAMBODIA

Amending and Extending the 

Memorandum of Understanding of 

September 19, 2003

Effected by Exchange of Notes at

Phnom Penh July 18 and August 6, 2013
 

NOTE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE

 Pursuant to Public Law 89—497, approved July 8, 1966

(80 Stat. 271; 1 U.S.C. 113)—

“. . .the Treaties and Other International Acts Series issued

under the authority of the Secretary of State shall be competent

evidence . . . of the treaties, international agreements other than

treaties, and proclamations by the President of such treaties and

international agreements other than treaties, as the case may be, 

therein contained, in all the courts of law and equity and of maritime

jurisdiction, and in all the tribunals and public offices of the

United States, and of the several States, without any further proof

or authentication thereof.”
 CAMBODIA

 Cultural Property

 Agreement amending and extending the 

 memorandum of understanding

 of September 19, 2003.

 Effected by exchange of notes at Phnom Penh

 July 18 and August 6, 2013;

 Entered into force August 6, 2013.
No. 0564

The Embassy of the United States of America presents its compliments to

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of

Cambodia and has the honor to refer to the Memorandum of Understanding

Between the Government of the United States of America and the Royal

Government of Cambodia concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on

Archaeological Material from Cambodia from the Bronze Age through the Khmer

Era, signed at Phnom Penh, September 19, 2003, as amended and extended in 2008

(hereinafter referred to as the "MOU"). The Embassy, on behalf of the

Government of the United States of America, proposes that, pursuant to Article IV,

Sections A and B of the MOU, the MOU be extended for an additional five-year

period.

The Embassy further proposes that, pursuant to Article IV, Section B of the

MOU, the MOU be amended by replacing Article II with the attached revised

Article II.

DIPLOMATIC NOTE
If the foregoing proposals are acceptable to the Ministry, the Embassy

proposes that this note, including the attached revised Article 11 and the Ministry's

note in reply, shall constitute an agreement to extend and amend the MOU, which

shall enter into force on the date of the Ministry's note in reply and shall take

effect on September 19, 2013.

The Embassy of the United States of America takes this opportunity to

renew to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the

Kingdom of Cambodia the assurances of its highest consideration.

Attachment: Proposed revised Article II

Embassy of the United States of America,

Phnom Penh, July 18, 2013.

CC: Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts
United States of America-Kingdom of Cambodia Memorandum of Understanding

Extension 2013

Revised Article H

Public Awareness / Outreach

A. Representatives of the Government of the United States of America and

representatives of the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia shall continue

efforts to publicize this Memorandum of Understanding and the reasons for it,

particularly as they relate to the Bronze and Iron Ages.

B. The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia shall use its best efforts to place

informational material such as signs and brochures at airports, border crossings,

other points of entry and exit, marketplaces, and retail outlets that explain the laws

prohibiting illicit excavation and the removal and sale of artifacts.

Protection I Conservation

C. The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia shall continue to use its best efforts

to:

• create and implement management plans for archaeological sites on land and

underwater that balance protection with sustainable use;

• secure and inventory objects pertaining to its national cultural heritage,

including those held in public institutions, religious institutions, and private

collections;

• document cultural heritage sites in a centralized digital inventory:

• implement educational programs throughout the country to inform and engage

its citizens in the protection of cultural resources, particularly those of the

Bronze and Iron Ages;

• expand the Department of Heritage Protection Police; and

• reduce corruption that undermine efforts to protect Cambodian cultural

patrimony from pillage and illicit trafficking.

D. Both Governments shall continue to promote best practices in cultural resource

management in Cambodia, and to encourage coordination among cultural heritage

authorities, tourism authorities, and development agencies to ensure the protection

of archaeological sites on land and underwater from accidental destruction. looting,

or damage.

Collaboration / Interchange

E. The Government of the United States of America shall continue to use its best

efforts to facilitate technical assistance in cultural resource management and

security to the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as appropriate under

available programs in the public and/or private sectors.
F. The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia shall continue and expand the

exchange of its archaeological material under circumstances that do not jeopardize

its cultural patrimony, such as for temporary special exhibitions and for loans of

long duration for cultural, educational, or scientific purposes.

G. Both Governments shall seek to encourage national, international, and nongovernmental institutions to promote research, knowledge, and professional

development in all areas of Cambodian heritage protection and management.

H. Both Governments, recognizing collaborative efforts already underway. shall

continue to develop and promote professional training programS for archaeologists,

museum staff, and institutional administrators responsible for cultural patrimony, to

enhance the capabilities of the museums of Cambodia to care for and present their

rich cultural heritage.

1. Both Governments, building on previously successful initiatives, shall endeavor to

support the Government of Cambodia's efforts to ensure that permitted

archaeological projects include collaborative and community engaged scholarship

involving local stakeholders, such as village and monastic communities, to develop

local understanding of heritage issues.

Law Enforcement

J. The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia shall continue its efforts to maintain

and enhance a comprehensive record of reported incidents of looting of

archaeological sites. Such records should include an indication of the eventual

outcome of cases that result in prosecution or penalties.

K. The Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia shall endeavor to enhance its

collaborative efforts with the governments of other Southeast Asian countries.

namely Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos, to control the illicit movement of Cambodian

archaeological materials across their shared borders. It shall also endeavor to

proactively engage with countries that have a demonstrable market for

archaeological objects from Cambodia to prevent the illicit trafficking of this

material.

Reporting

L. each Government shall, on a regular basis, keep the other informed of the

implementation of the measures agreed to in this Memorandum of Understanding.