Description
AFCP was established to help countries preserve cultural heritage and to demonstrate U.S. respect for other cultures. The aim is to preserve cultural sites or objects that have an historical or cultural significance to the cultural heritage of Brazil. AFCP gives top priority to project activities in keeping with international standards for the preservation of cultural heritage. An appropriate preservation activity is one that protects the values of the site, object or collection, or form of traditional cultural expression, as they are understood by stakeholders. Stakeholders may include national, regional, or local cultural authorities, the local community, and others with vested interests in the site and the outcome of a project. AFCP Program Objectives: The Department of State established the AFCP in 2001at the request of Congress (Conference Report 106-1005 accompanying H.R. 4942). At the time, the Senate noted that the preservation of cultural heritage “offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military.” The projects recommended for funding advance U.S. foreign policy goals and show respect for other cultures. Cultural preservation is effective public diplomacy that resonates deeply with opinion leaders and local communities, even in countries where ties may be otherwise limited. AFCP projects strengthen civil society, encourage good governance, and promote political and economic stability around the world. The AFCP Grants Program supports the preservation of archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression, such as indigenous languages and crafts. Appropriate project activities may include: a)Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts)b)Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site)c)Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site)d)Documentation (recording in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition)e)Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state)f)Preventive Conservation (addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition)g)Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings)h)Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site) Some of the most successful AFCP projects have been designed as part of a greater PD programming arc promoting specific U.S. policy goals and host-country or community goals. Accordingly, in FY 2022, ECA will give preference to projects that do one or more of the following: a)Directly support U.S. treaty or bilateral agreement obligations. b)Directly support U.S. policies, strategies and objectives in a country as stated in the Integrated Country Strategy or other U.S. government planning document. c)Support disaster risk reduction for cultural heritage in disaster-prone areas or post-disaster cultural heritage recovery d)Support conflict resolution and help communities bridge differences. e)Partner, connect with, or feed into other ECA or public diplomacy programs