United States Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation Grants
USD $20,000 to Survey Damage to Historical Sites in Sri Lanka
Colombo, July 14, 2005: Tsunami damage to the historical Dutch Fort and Kumaranatunge Mawatha in Matara will be investigated and detailed through a grant from the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, an initiative of the United States Department of State.
Professor Pali Wijeratne, the President of the Sri Lankan Chapter of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (
ICOMOS Sri Lanka) accepted the award from
U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead on July 14, 2005, in the amount of U.S.D. $20,934.
The funding will support a grant project called the Survey of Cultural Properties Affected by the Tsunami of December 26, for which Professor Wijeratne submitted a $20,000 proposal to the Ambassadors' Fund for Cultural Preservation to survey tsunami damage to historical buildings in Matara. Ambassador Lunstead expressed his hope that the survey can assist in the preservation of the historic Matara area while rebuilding after the tsunami progresses.
Through the Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation, the United States Department of State is helping Sri Lanka and other countries around the globe preserve historic sites and manuscripts, museum collections, and traditional forms of music, dance, and language. The U.S. Congress established the fund in 2001 to assist less-developed countries in preserving their cultural heritage. “The Ambassador's Fund demonstrates in measurable ways the U.S. commitment to understanding and preserving the heritage of others,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Patricia S. Harrison.
This is the first time that Sri Lanka has received a grant from the Ambassadors’ Fund. You can read more about the fund at: http://
exchanges.state.gov/culprop/afcp/.
Signing
US Ambassador and ICOMOS Sri Lanka Team
© ICOMOS
http://www.international.icomos.org
secretariat@icomos.org
