Assistant Secretary Satterfield traveled to New York to join the Cambodian Ambassador to the United States Keo Chhea and representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (USASD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for a repatriation ceremony of 30 pieces of cultural property, including the 10th century sculpture ‘Skanda on a Peacock,’ which is of great cultural and religious significance to the people of Cambodia. Assistant Secretary Satterfield’s visit underscores the United States’ commitment to preserving cultural heritage and property in Cambodia and around the world, as well as the bilateral and people-to-people relationships between the United States and Cambodia.
Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Homeland Security Investigations, the repatriation ceremony is part of the United States’ whole-of-government approach to protecting and preserving global cultural heritage. Through the U.S. Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee, 16 U.S. government agencies, led by the Department of State and chaired by Assistant Secretary Satterfield, work together to disrupt looting and illegal trade of international cultural property, while also promoting the lawful exchange of cultural property for cultural, educational, and scientific purposes.
Assistant Secretary Satterfield also highlighted Cambodia’s regional leadership as a partner in cultural heritage protection through the U.S.-Cambodia cultural property agreement, the only such agreement between the United States and an ASEAN member. For more than 20 years, the United States has worked to protect, preserve, and honor Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage with Cambodian partners, American academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
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