The British Council, in partnership with the UK’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, organised a closing ceremony for the Varendra Research Museum Training Programme, an initiative of the Cultural Protection Fund, on 25 February 2025, at the Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi. The Cultural Protection Fund is the UK’s primary response to international cultural protection, according to press release.
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 initiative in Bangladesh, the ‘Varendra Research Museum Training Programme.’ It was a four-month-long skill-development initiative delivered by Durham University’s UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage with heritage professionals and collections managers at Varendra Research Museum, Rajshahi University.
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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, said in press release.
The closing ceremony was hosted by Professor Dr. Kazi Md. Mostafijur Rahman, Director-in-Charge, and Md. Aslam Reza, Deputy Librarian from Varendra Research Museum of University of Rajshahi. The project management and training team was led by Professor Robin Coningham, PhD, Durham University and Professor Shahnaj Husne Jahan, PhD, University of Liberal Arts (ULAB), Bangladesh. Professor Dr. Saleh Hasan Naqib, Vice-Chancellor, University of Rajshahi, attended the event as the Chief Guest.
Stephen Forbes, Country Director, British Council, Bangladesh, was present during the ceremony as the Special Guest and has expressed, “The UK is committed to supporting the protection and preservation of cultural heritage worldwide, and the Cultural Protection Fund is a testament to this commitment. 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.”
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