[1] It was a response to concerns raised by indigenous peoples about the circumstances surrounding the collection and preservation of human remains.
It was incorporated into the Tamaki Makau-rau Accord which sets standards for the display of human remains and other culturally sensitive objects.
For example, in 1991 the Council of Australian Museum Directors adopted new policies regarding the remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
[3] Just a month after its adoption, the United States Congress passed the National Museum of the American Indian Act which called for the Smithsonian Institution to inventory and work with tribes to arrange repatriation of its extensive holdings of Native American remains.
[4] In the United Kingdom, the accord informed the activities of the Working Group on Human Remains in Museum Collections, which received its mandate in 2001 and reported its findings in November 2003.