UNESCO has a long and successful record of joint cooperation with Egypt in the cultural heritage field, beginning with the very successful Nubian Salvage Campaign in the 1960s and implementing a series of important cultural projects in Egypt, which include the International Campaign for the Establishment of Nubia Museum in Aswan and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo.  At the request of the Ministry of Antiquities, the on-going NMEC project was designed to build the capacity of the Museum’s staff and provide it with technical expertise.  The project is meant to enhance international knowledge of Egyptian culture and to attract visitors from all regions of the world. 

More recently, UNESCO assisted the Egyptian government after the Mallawi Museum was looted in August 2013.   When a blast ripped through the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo earlier this year, UNESCO and the Government of Italy committed funding and provided technical assistance to rehabilitate the museum thanks to the generous contribution mobilized by UNESCO and provided by Italy. 

The current phase of UNESCO and Egypt’s  close cooperation on the Urban Regeneration of Historic Cairo (URCH), designed to enhance the management of the complex World Heritage property of Historic Cairo, is coming to completion.  Discussions are underway with several countries and institutions to help Egypt restore this unique heritage, which is an important part of its cultural identity. 

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, renewed her commitment for the preservation of Egyptian cultural heritage:  “Egyptian heritage is part of the universal story of humanity and I will spare no efforts to mobilise the expertise of UNESCO and its partners for its preservation – this is as essential for Egyptians as it is for people across the world.”