United States Announces New Support for Protection of Ukrainian Cultural Heritage

Today, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Lee Satterfield joined Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, leaders from across Europe, and key stakeholders where she announced two new projects funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative and underscored continued U.S. support for the people of Ukraine and their efforts to protect and preserve Ukrainian culture.

First, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Cultural Heritage Center, the United States will help ensure Ukrainians have the data and skills they need to repair and restore damaged cultural heritage and to counter false narratives about Russia’s unprovoked war and Ukraine’s unique cultural identity. Second, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecutors from the U.S. Department of Justice will work with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General to strengthen Ukraine’s capabilities to investigate, prosecute, and trace looted, stolen, and trafficked cultural property from Ukraine and to prosecute those responsible.

Acting Under Secretary Satterfield also outlined the importance of the September 10 imposition of emergency import restrictions on certain categories of Ukrainian cultural property into the United States. These restrictions, which will remain in effect through March 2029, will discourage the illicit removal and sale of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and facilitate its seizure and rightful return, in coordination with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

Last week ahead of the G7 Culture Ministerial in Naples, Italy, Acting Under Secretary Satterfield announced the contribution of $1 million to the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) for a project to help Ukraine safeguard cultural heritage at risk from conflict and other crises, including natural disasters.