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British Council Cultural Protection Fund in partnership with DCMS

The British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, set up in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, is directly responding to the threat to cultural heritage in and around the Middle East and North Africa, whilst promoting opportunities for sustainable social and economic development in the region. Utilising £30m in Official Development Assistance from the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Cultural Protection Fund offers grants to organisations to deliver projects that protect, record, conserve and restore cultural heritage at risk. In doing so, we are creating opportunities for sustainable development through providing skills; increasing capacity in the heritage workforce; and supporting communities to better understand, value and benefit from their heritage. Grants have been awarded to 51 initiatives taking place across the region. By 2020, over 3000 people in the cultural heritage sector will have received training and developed new skills as part of CPF projects and thousands of new records for threatened heritage sites have been created and are being monitored across the region. Over 10,000 people have undertaken activities that increase understanding of, or engagement with, cultural heritage.

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British Council Cultural Protection Fund in partnership with DCMS Projects

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Varendra Research Museum

This project, led by Durham University in collaboration with the Varendra Research Museum and supported by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, focuses on preservin…

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Kharmang c Laavjerd

Community Based Conservation of Silk Route Heritage

Digital documentation and repairs of historic buildings in Gilgit-Baltistan, supported by a residency for Shu craftspeople.

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Lahiri Bandar artefact scatter c Maritim EA Research

Digital Heritage Trails Project (DHTP)

Documentation and community engagement around endangered maritime archaeological sites in Sindh’s Indus Delta.

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Boats Manchar Lake c NED Uni

Manchar Lake Mohannas – Safeguarding the last houseboat village from extinction

Restoration of traditional Mohana houseboats and youth training to preserve a threatened way of life in Sindh.

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Interior of the Khalikdina Library c Numaish

The Reading Room | Karachi

Revitalization of Karachi’s historic Khalikdina Hall through literary digitization and community cultural programming.

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Embroidery Training c Faiz

Preserving & Promoting the Hazara Heritage

Documentation and revitalization of Hazara intangible heritage through film, photography, and artisan training in Balochistan.

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Buddhist Rock Relief in the Swat Valley c ISMEO

Preservation of the Late Buddhist rock heritage of Swat – digitization and preventive conservation

Community-based climate adaptation training and urgent conservation of Buddhist rock reliefs in Swat Valley, alongside digital documentation.

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Gorkha Gurung Women c NIWF

Preservation of Indigenous Food Heritage in Nepal

Documents food heritage in Nepal’s highlands, where climate change threatens traditional foraging and cooking. Women lead the effort to record recipes and practices across pro…

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Main temple in Samling with deteriorated masonry c Kai Weise ICOMOS

Towards Protecting the Cultural Heritage in the High Himalayas of the Shey Phoksundo National Park of Dolpo

Focuses on documenting and protecting the Upper Dolpo region’s monastic sites and historic settlements. It includes community training for heritage mapping and long-term conse…

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