ALIPH: Delivering concrete and speedy responses to protect cultural heritage worldwide

Local actors show strong mobilization to protect cultural heritage against the impacts of climate change

ALIPH’s USD 10 million call for projects to protect cultural heritage from the impacts of climate change was met with an overwhelming response. We received 285 projects from around the world, 88% of which from 47 African countries!

We send a big thank you to these local actors for their remarkable mobilization. ALIPH will now evaluate and select the most relevant projects to help ensure that our heritage is passed on to future generations. Results are expected in July 2025.

ALIPH stands by heritage professionals working in the heart of conflict zones

To address the challenge of protecting cultural heritage in conflict zones, ALIPH has been approving new projects, carried out on-the-ground, almost daily. The ALIPH Secretariat is in close contact with operators to support them whenever needed so they can successfully carry out their projects as well as ensure the safety of their teams. It is these strong partnerships, with hundreds of professionals on the ground, that strengthen our collective efforts to achieve our common mission.

Ukraine: Since March 2022, ALIPH has allocated nearly USD 8 million to support the protection or emergency stabilization of cultural heritage in Ukraine. Our Foundation has supported more than 445 organizations or cultural institutions through 230 projects, 180 of which have been completed. ALIPH has funded or provided protective materials and equipment to nearly 350 museums, archives, libraries, or heritage institutions to safeguard their collections. All this has been made possible thanks to the support of ALIPH member States and private donors, as well as contributions from the European Union, Getty, U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (U.S. State Department), and the Principality of Monaco.

Sudan: ALIPH has been supporting projects in Sudan since 2019, funding 15 projects for a total of USD 4.3 million. Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, and under extremely challenging conditions on the ground, ALIPH has financed emergency measures to protect collections, sites, and monuments as well as to assist Sudanese professionals. The Foundation has provided emergency support to mitigate the effects of war and flooding at heritage sites such as the Island of Meroë, Gebel Barkal, and the Old Town of Dongola. ALIPH is also funding the inventorying of museum collections to better protect them from illicit trafficking.

Gaza: Prior to the war, ALIPH had funded nine projects in Palestine, totalling USD 2.5 million. Through the network of local professionals that ALIPH has established, the Foundation is now financing emergency measures to protect cultural heritage in Gaza. With a commitment of nearly USD 500,000, ALIPH is helping to safeguard seven museum collections. Two of these projects have already been completed, ensuring the protection of 3,000 artifacts Additionally, ALIPH has supported a training program for Palestinian professionals on emergency interventions, and the documentation of three iconic monuments in Gaza so they can be stabilized.

Lebanon: Since the explosion in the port of Beirut in the summer of 2020, ALIPH has had a strong presence in Lebanon, funding 35 projects for over USD 5.2 million. Over the past two months, since October 2024, ALIPH has continued its collaboration with the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) and local NGOs, committing USD 150,000 to protect the collections of three major museums in Beirut (safeguarding over 20,000 artifacts); to rehabilitate historical DGA houses located on archaeological sites in northern Lebanon so they can not only host heritage professionals displaced by fighting in the south but also enhance the security of these sites against looting risks; and to stabilize four damaged historical buildings in the old city of Baalbek.