WHEREAS, Cultural Heritage constitutes the imprints of a people’s age-old way of life, labor and creativity;

WHEREAS, Cultural Heritage constitutes an indispensable source of information for the purpose of study and research regarding the origin and evolution of man and other forms of life and thereby for the better understanding of nature and environment;

WHEREAS, Cultural Heritage makes a major and universal contribution to the development of science and regarding the whole gamut of human knowledge generally;

WHEREAS, Ethiopia, a country of nations, nationalities and peoples with history and culture of their own, has through the course of its long history acquire numerous cultural heritage including those which have been registered in the World Cultural Heritage List;

WHEREAS, Cultural Heritage plays a major role in enabling the next generation to acquire profound and extensive awareness about its culture and history, which is the expression of its identity, and hence the protection and preservation of cultural heritage has been made the responsibility of each citizen, the society and the states;

WHEREAS, it has become necessary to devise ways and means for the full protection and preservation of cultural heritage and to ensure that the research of Cultural Heritage at all stages is carried out in a way consonant with the national interest and the rights of the people;

NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with Article 55(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, it is hereby proclaimed as follows: