World Monuments Fund and Getty Conservation Institute Create Initiative to Conserve Iraqi Cultural Heritage

Bonnie Burnham, president, World Monuments Fund (WMF), and Timothy P. Whalen, director, Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), today announced the formation of the GCI–WMF Iraq Cultural Heritage Conservation Initiative. Established with lead funding from the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the Initiative seeks to address the catastrophic damage sustained by Iraq’s cultural heritage during and in the aftermath of the 2003 war.

Working in collaboration with the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and State Board of Antiquities and Heritage (SBAH), and coordinating with the United National Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), the Initiative will mobilize international resources and attention in support of the Iraqi cultural authorities and their objectives: the cessation of threats to and repair of damage sustained by Iraq’s cultural heritage, and rebuilding the country’s professional conservation and heritage-management capacity.