U.S.-Afghan National Museum Partnership

The U.S. Government is engaged with the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC) in developing a National Museum improvement program aimed to establish a fully functional and modern National Museum complex that will stand as an enduring symbol of Afghanistans rich cultural heritage and national identity. In October 2010, a conservation assessment was conducted by museum professionals from the United States. In consultation with the U.S. Embassy, the Afghan MOIC, and other interested organizations and countries, the assessment is being developed into a master plan, which will inform the future development of the Museums administrative and physical infrastructure. The objectives of the overall program include: 1. Assisting the National Museum to better and more effectively carry out its role as a national institution charged with the preservation and conservation of Afghanistans national heritage, and the presentation and display of this heritage for the benefit of the people of Afghanistan and its guests and visitors; 2. Providing the Museum with adequate security and physical safeguards to assist the Museum in more effective management, storage, protection, conservation, and presentation of its collection; 3. Providing a new physical structure to help the Museum better present and explain its collection for the education and enlightenment of Museum visitors; This present award will provide funding for a multi-year museum partnership between the Afghan National Museum and a U.S. museum, institution, or consortium of institutions and individuals to build Afghan capacity to manage and utilize the new museum infrastructure. Project activities include practical training in museum management, museum practice and operations for the National Museum of Afghanistan and its staff in Kabul, Afghanistan, plus the establishment of a fully functioning museum electronic collections management system with a collections catalogue database, and the cataloguing and archival rehousing of the Museums collections in preparation for their future relocation. Concurrently, via a separate cooperative agreement, the U.S. Embassy and the Afghan MOIC are engaged with partners in the multi-phase project and contract management of the new National Museum structure: to successfully plan and fully design the new building and site, and then to supervise and manage the buildings construction and the sites development. All major decisions shall be made in coordination with and the approval of the U.S. Embassy and its representatives.