The International Council of Museums, with a broad-based membership of nearly one thousand museums throughout the world, adopted its Code of Professional Ethics in 1986. The Code addresses both institutional and professional ethics and sets standards for the development of internal policies dealing with acquisitions, cooperation, loans and exhibitions, authentication, valuation, documentation, and the special problems raised by human remains. Although described as a conservative document that could garner widespread support from museums located in both market and 'victim' nations, the Code nonetheless prohibits acquisition of material that was illegally exported from its country of origin or derives from unscientific excavation or destruction or damage to sites and monuments.