trade, scholarship, and Islam in the 15th and 16th 
centuries—and threatened collections of ancient 
manuscripts. 
(8) In Afghanistan, the Taliban decreed that 
the Bamiyan Buddhas, ancient statues carved into a 
cliff side in central Afghanistan, were to be de-
stroyed. In 2001 the Taliban carried out their threat 
and destroyed the statues, leading to worldwide con-
demnation. 
(9) In Cambodia, following the Khmer Rouge’s 
seizure of power in 1975 the Khmer Rouge system-
atically destroyed many of Cambodia’s Buddhist 
temples, desecrated statues, and destroyed Buddhist 
literature. 
The 
Khmer 
Rouge 
also 
destroyed 
mosques and nearly every Catholic church existing in 
the country. 
(10) In China, during the Cultural Revolution 
much of China’s antiques were destroyed, including 
a large portion of old Beijing. Chinese authorities 
are now attempting to rebuild portions of China’s 
lost architectural heritage. 
(11) In Haiti, the 2010 earthquake destroyed 
art, artifacts, and archives important to the people 
of Haiti, and partially destroyed the 17th century 
Haitian city of Jacmel. 
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(12) The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and 
tsunami not only affected eleven countries, causing 
massive loss of life, but also damaged or destroyed 
libraries, archives, and UNESCO World Heritage 
Sites such as the Mahabalipuram in India, the Sun 
Temple of Koranak on the Bay of Bengal, and the 
Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications in Sri 
Lanka. 
(13) The destruction of these and other cultural 
properties represents an irreparable loss of human-
ity’s common cultural heritage and is therefore a 
loss for all Americans. 
(14) The United States Armed Forces have 
played important roles in preserving and protecting 
cultural property. On June 23, 1943, President 
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the American 
Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artis-
tic and Historic Monuments in War Areas to provide 
expert advice to the military on the protection of cul-
tural property. The Commission formed Monuments, 
Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) teams which be-
came part of the Civil Affairs Division of Military 
Government Section of the Allied armies. The indi-
viduals serving in the MFAA were known as the 
‘‘Monuments Men’’ and have been credited with se-
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curing, cataloguing, and returning hundreds of thou-
sands works of art stolen by the Nazis during World 
War II. 
(15) The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield 
was founded in 2006 to support the implementation 
of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of 
Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict 
and to coordinate with the United States military, 
other branches of the United States Government, 
and other cultural heritage nongovernmental organi-
zations in preserving international cultural property 
threatened by political instability, armed conflict, 
natural, or other disasters. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 
of the United States to— 
(1) protect and preserve international cultural 
property at risk of destruction due to political insta-
bility, armed conflict, or natural or other disasters; 
(2) protect international cultural property pur-
suant to its obligations under the 1954 Hague Con-
vention for the Protection of Cultural Property in 
the Event of Armed Conflict and customary inter-
national law in all conflicts to which the United 
States is a party; 
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(3) prevent, in accordance with existing laws, 
importation of cultural property pillaged, looted, or 
stolen during political instability, armed conflict, or 
natural or other disasters; and 
(4) ensure that existing laws and regulations, 
including import restrictions imposed through the 
Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) of the De-
partment of the Treasury, are fully implemented to 
prevent the trafficking in stolen or looted cultural 
property. 
SEC. 4. WHITE HOUSE COORDINATOR FOR INTERNATIONAL 
CULTURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION. 
The President shall appoint a White House Coordi-
nator for International Cultural Property Protection. The 
Coordinator shall— 
(1) coordinate and promote efforts to address 
international cultural property protection activities 
that involve multiple Federal agencies, including dip-
lomatic activities, military activities, law enforcement 
activities, import restrictions, and the work of the 
Cultural Antiquities Task Force established pursu-
ant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 
(Public Law 108–199); 
(2) submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees an annual report on interagency efforts 
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to protect international cultural property based on 
information required under section 5 of this Act; 
(3) provide policy recommendations, if nec-
essary; 
(4) resolve interagency differences in a timely, 
efficient, and effective manner; and 
(5) work and consult with domestic and inter-
national actors such as foreign governments, non-
governmental organizations, museums, educational 
institutions, research institutions, and the U.S. 
Committee of the Blue Shield on efforts to promote 
and protect international cultural property. 
SEC. 5. INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES TO PROTECT INTER-
NATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY. 
(a) INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPART-
MENT
OF STATE TO PROTECT INTERNATIONAL CUL-
TURAL PROPERTY.—The Secretary of State shall submit 
to the White House Coordinator for International Cultural 
Property Protection information on efforts of the Depart-
ment of State to protect international cultural property, 
including— 
(1) activities undertaken pursuant to the Hague 
Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property 
in the Event of Armed Conflict, including— 
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(A) procedures the Department has insti-
tuted to protect international cultural property 
at risk of destruction due to political instability, 
armed conflict, or natural or other disasters; 
and 
(B) actions the Department has taken to 
protect international cultural property in con-
flicts to which the United States is a party; and 
(2) actions the Department has taken to protect 
international cultural property pursuant to other 
cultural property protection statutes, international 
agreements, or policies. 
(b) INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF USAID TO 
PROTECT INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY.—The 
Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development (USAID) shall submit to the White 
House Coordinator for International Cultural Property 
Protection information on efforts of USAID to protect 
international cultural property, including activities and co-
ordination with other Federal agencies, international orga-
nizations, and nongovernmental organizations regarding 
the protection of international cultural property at risk of 
destruction due to political unrest, armed conflict, natural 
or other disasters, and USAID development programs. 
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(c) INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPART-
MENT OF DEFENSE TO PROTECT INTERNATIONAL CUL-
TURAL PROPERTY.—The Secretary of Defense shall sub-
mit to the White House Coordinator for International Cul-
tural Property Protection information on efforts of the 
Department of Defense to protect international cultural 
property, including activities undertaken pursuant to the 
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property 
in the Event of Armed Conflict, other cultural protection 
statutes, and international agreements, including— 
(1) directives, policies, and regulations the De-
partment has instituted to protect international cul-
tural property at risk of destruction due to political 
instability, armed conflict, or natural or other disas-
ters; and 
(2) actions the Department has taken to protect 
international cultural property, including actions to 
avoid damage to cultural property through construc-
tion activities abroad. 
(d) INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPART-
MENT OF JUSTICE TO PROTECT INTERNATIONAL CUL-
TURAL PROPERTY.—The Attorney General, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall sub-
mit to the White House Coordinator for International Cul-
tural Property Protection information on efforts of the 
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Department of Justice to protect both international cul-
tural property and international cultural property located 
in, or attempted to be imported into, the United States, 
including activities undertaken pursuant to statutes and 
international agreements. Such information shall include 
the— 
(1) statutes and regulations the Department 
has employed in criminal, civil, and civil forfeiture 
actions to prevent and interdict trafficking in stolen 
and smuggled cultural property, including investiga-
tions into transnational organized crime; and 
(2) actions the Department has taken in order 
to ensure the consistent and effective application of 
law in cases relating to both international cultural 
property and international cultural property located 
in, or attempted to be imported into, the United 
States. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES TO EN-
GAGE IN INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROP-
ERTY PROTECTION ACTIVITIES WITH THE 
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the Department of State, the Department of 
Defense, USAID, the Department of Homeland Security, 
the Department of Justice, the Department of the Inte-
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rior, the National Archives, the National Science Founda-
tion, and any other agency that is involved in international 
cultural property protection activities are authorized to 
enter into agreements or memoranda of understanding 
with the Smithsonian Institution to temporarily engage 
personnel from the Smithsonian Institution for the pur-
poses of furthering such international cultural property 
protection activities. 
(b) SALARIES AND EXPENSES.—The Federal agen-
cies or departments specified in subsection (a) are author-
ized to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel from 
the Smithsonian Institution to assist such agencies or de-
partments in their international cultural property protec-
tion activities, including in support of military or diplo-
matic missions and law enforcement efforts. 
SEC. 7. GRANTMAKING AUTHORIZATION FOR THE SEC-
RETARY OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL CUL-
TURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION ACTIVITIES. 
The Secretary of State is authorized to make grants 
to private individuals or organizations for the purposes of 
international cultural property protection activities in 
areas at risk of destruction due to political instability, 
armed conflict, or natural or other disasters. 
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SEC. 8. EMERGENCY PROTECTION FOR SYRIAN CULTURAL 
PROPERTY. 
(a) 
PRESIDENTIAL
DETERMINATION.—Notwith-
standing subsection (b) of section 304 of the Convention 
on the Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 
2603) (relating to a Presidential determination that an 
emergency condition applies with respect to any archae-
ological or ethnological material of any State Party to the 
Convention), the President shall apply the import restric-
tions referred to in such section 304 with respect to any 
archaeological or ethnological material of Syria as if Syria 
were a State Party to such Convention, except that sub-
section (c) of such section 304 shall not apply. Such im-
port restrictions shall take effect not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘archaeological or ethnological ma-
terial of Syria’’ means cultural property of Syria and 
other items of archaeological, historical, cultural, 
rare scientific, or religious importance unlawfully re-
moved from Syria on or after August 18, 2011; and 
(2) the term ‘‘State Party’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 302 of the Convention on 
the Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 
U.S.C. 2601). 
Æ 
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