The International Coalition to Protect Egyptian Antiquities
What is The International Coalition to Protect Egyptian Antiquities?
The International Coalition to Protection Egyptian Antiquities is an organization of archaeological, cultural heritage and business organizations that have come together to protect archaeological sites and historic cultural artifacts in Egypt. This effort is led by The Capitol Archaeological Institute at The George Washington University, the group includes the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Schools of Oriental Research, the National Geographic Society and the U.S.-Egypt Business Council.
In addition, the Government of Egypt and the Coalition have agreed upon a series of short, medium, and long-term programs to strike at the core of cultural racketeering. These initiatives include:
- Cultural Heritage Inventories: conducting the first nationwide inventory for all excavated antiquities- led by Egyptian archeologists and the Ministry of Antiquities- and made widely available through publications on the web.
- Physical Site Protection: training officials at the sites and supporting programs to better protect sites physically where necessary.
- Ancient Records Digitization: scanning ancient records to protect the objects and ensure accessibility on the Internet.
- Aerial Mapping : conducting nationwide mapping of all key archeological sites to serve as a benchmark for tracking looting and urban encroachment.
- Cultural Heritage Education Campaigns: designing and implementing cultural heritage education programs around major archaeological sites.
- Small Business Initiatives: in partnership with Goldman, Sachs & Co.’s 10,000 Women Program and the Egyptian Government, promoting the development of small businesses around tourist sites to create economic incentive for their protection.
Based on the results of the program, The Coalition will evaluate this program as a potential model to support other governments under attack from cultural racketeering.