Signing of Cultural Agreement between Cambodia and the United States

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts signed a U.S.-Cambodia cultural cooperation agreement today at the National Museum, extending for another five years the United States’ long-standing commitment to preserving and restoring Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage.  Cambodia is the only county in Southeast Asia with this agreement.  The first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in 2003.

The extension of the MOU between the United States and the Royal Government of Cambodia, concerning “the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Categories of Archaeological and Ethnological Materials of Cambodia,” will reduce the pillaging of irreplaceable archaeological material from Cambodia and continue the exchange of archaeological and ethnological materials for cultural, educational, and scientific purposes to promote public appreciation of and access to Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage.   

Over the past 20 years, this MOU has facilitated the return of over 100 priceless antiquities and built the capacity of Cambodians working on cultural heritage preservation.

https://kh.usembassy.gov/signing-of-cultural-agreement-between-cambodia-and-the-united-states/