"A U.S.-Yemen Case Study in Safeguarding Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Amidst Conflict"

Join the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations for a discussion on successful collaboration in the protection and preservation of Yemen’s cultural heritage
Years of crisis and war in Yemen have made the country’s rich archaeological sites and museums dangerously vulnerable. Museums have been destroyed and the looting of archaeological sites is ongoing. Many stolen objects have been illegally smuggled out of Yemen and sold. The depletion of these cultural artifacts represents an erasure of Yemen’s rich and vibrant cultural history.
In the United States, there have been coalitions formed among countries and organizations to preserve cultural heritage items. In 2023, the Republic of Yemen Government announced agreements with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where Yemen reclaimed ownership of stolen objects, but made custody arrangements for their short-term storage and exhibition in the United States. New partnerships have emerged that are working to securely repatriate treasures of history to the people of Yemen.
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National Council Online Briefing Program -
"A U.S.-Yemen Case Study in Safeguarding Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Amidst Conflict"
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Featured Specialists:
Mr. Timothy Lenderking - United States Special Envoy for Yemen
H.E. Mohammed Al-Hadhrami - Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the United States, former Yemen Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ms. Tess Davis - Executive Director, Antiquities Coalition
Dr. Jeremie Schiettecatte - Research fellow, French National Centre for Scientific Research & Visiting Research Scholar, New York University Institute for Study of the Ancient World
Moderator:
Colonel (Ret.) Abbas K. Dahouk, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Board of Directors Member; Former U.S. Department of State Senior Military Advisor; Former U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia Defense and Army Attaché; HyphenPoint LLC President.
Welcome & Introduction:
Mr. H. Delano Roosevelt, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations President and CEO.
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Founded in 1983, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is an American non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American knowledge and understanding of the Arab region. Learn more at ncusar.org.