Welcome to our new bi-monthly newsletter, where you will be able to find all our latest news, events and opportunities.
In each edition, we will also spotlight different projects and target countries as well as interesting and unusual facts and figures, so you can discover more about our work.
Please let us know what you think of the new bulletin and if you have any stories which you would like to include in future editions, you can send them to us using the button below.
'It matters because it helps us understand ourselves and who we are, understand and appreciate others and see the connection between us' - Skinder Hundal, former Global Director Arts, British Council.
For further thoughts on cultural heritage and its protection, watch the video below.
Celebrating 90 years of the British Council
2024 marks 90 years of the British Council. Over these years we have created opportunities for millions of people and developed deep and long-lasting relationships. Find out more in the video below.
News and Events
Guest column: How is climate change impacting the world's heritage?
Supported by the Cultural Protection Fund, International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) is twinning National Trust UK properties with cultural heritage sites in Africa and the Middle East in a process of mutual learning and exchange.
Interview: Keeping traditional Syrian music alive for a new generation
Musician and researcher Mark Gergis was interviewed recently by The National about his work on the Syrian Cassette Archives project, which is supported by the Cultural Protection Fund.
History broadcaster Dan Snow, Her Royal Highness Princess Dana of Jordan, and Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust, have been announced as keynote speakers for Facing Change: Jordan 2024. The conference, co-organised and supported by us, takes place in Amman, Jordan, from 2-4 December.
Stories from the Cultural Protection Fund will be featured in British Council spaces at the 29th Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention on Climate Change, which will be held from the 11–22 November in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Our director, Stephanie Grant, will be part of the above panel at the Endangered Archives Programme Conference, at the British Library, London on 1 November.
The panel will look at their collective experiences in mitigating the impact of climate change threats on archives.
Protecting cultural heritage in conflict and disaster-affected areas
Our partner, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will host the above side event at the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent conference in Geneva on 31 October. The event will include a presentation from Safeguarding Sudan’s Living Heritage, a project led by our grantee, Mallinson Architects.
£50+ million awarded to 159 CPF projects in 19 countries
9429 sites, monuments and objects restored
27,000 people accessed training and educational activities
Spotlight on Pakistan
In May this year, we announced six projects in Pakistan, as part of a South Asia pilot project. The projects represent over £750k in funding and help protect cultural heritage including traditional houseboats, Buddhist rock reliefs and a weaving practice known as Shu. Explore some of our work in Pakistan below.
Image credits - from top of newsletter, left to right:
1. Participants working on the Syrian stone masonry training in Tripoli - credit: World Monuments Fund. 2. The historic Bayt al Razzaz, Cairo - photo by Dave Simpson, INTO. 3. Syrian Cassette Archives 2022. 4. Historian and writer Dan Snow. 5. Western Sudan Community Museums Project - copyright Yoohoo Media. 6. McMillan Library, Nairobi - credit: Book Bunk. 7. Safeguarding Sudan's Living Heritage - credit: Mallinson Architects. 8. Mohana houseboats - credit: NED University of Engineering. 9. Buddhist rock reliefs in the Swat Valley - credit: Essanoor Associations.10. Gholbasher House - credit: Laajverd.