Egypt, US coalition cooperate on cultural protection

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Egypt’s ministry of foreign affairs of Egypt and the International Coalition to Protect Egyptian Antiquities announced on Tuesday they had reached an agreement to cooperate on a comprehensive plan to protect Egypt’s archaeological and cultural heritage sites and artifacts.

The coalition, led by the George Washington University Capitol Archaeological Institute, the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the National Geographic Society, was in Cairo between May 16-18 at the invitation of the Egyptian government for a series of meetings with senior Egyptian government officials, private sector and archaeological experts.

The ministry and the coalition at the time formed a public-private partnership, agreeing to develop a framework that “commits resources to site protection, including protective walls at archaeological sites and increased training of law enforcement personnel; a nationwide satellite imagery analysis initiative; a complete database of Egypt’s antiquities based on inventories of Egypt’s museums and storage facilities; an education and awareness campaign; and longer term small business and green archaeological site programs,” GWU said in a press release.