The British Council in partnership with the United Kingdom鈥檚 department for culture, media, and sport organised a closing ceremony for the four-month Varendra Research Museum training programme at the Varendra Research Museum in Rajshahi on Tuesday.
The closing ceremony was hosted by Professor Kazi Md Mostafijur Rahman, director-in-charge, and Md Aslam Reza, deputy librarian from Varendra Research Museum of University of Rajshahi, said a press release on Wednesday.
The project management and training team was led by Durham University professor Robin Coningham and University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh professor Shahnaj Husne Jahan.
Rajshahi University vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib attended as chief guest while Stephen Forbes, country director, British Council, Bangladesh, was present during the ceremony as the special guest.
The Cultural Protection Fund is the UK鈥檚 primary response to international cultural protection.聽
Where cultural heritage is at risk from conflict or climate change, the cultural protection fund works with organisations to safeguard heritage and contribute to sustainable social stability and economic prosperity.
In November 2024, the British Council launched the first Cultural Protection Fund in Bangladesh, the Varendra Research Museum training programme.
It was a four-month skill-development initiative delivered by Durham University鈥檚 UNESCO chairman on archaeological ethics and practice in cultural heritage with heritage professionals and collections managers at Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi University.
The key objective of the programme has been to support the Varendra Research Museum to build a sustainable action plan to safeguard and preserve its collections of important historical and archaeological significance and associate intangible and oral traditions through strengthened connections with local communities.
Stephen Forbes said, 鈥楾he UK is committed to supporting the protection and preservation of cultural heritage worldwide, and the Cultural Protection Fund is a testament to this commitment.鈥�
Through our partnership with Durham University and Varendra Research Museum, we are proud to support initiatives that foster the expansion of technical skills and knowledge, support sustainable conservation practices and strengthen community engagement in heritage preservation through cooperation between Bangladesh and the UK, he added.