The 24,645 US dollar grant to the International Centre for Study of Bengal Art (ICSBA), headed by Dr Enamul Haque, will support the preservation of nearly 30,000 negatives, prints, and slides related to ancient and medieval Bengali art and architecture.

The collection was compiled over the last 50 years, and the preservation project will run for one year. The project will document and digitise the images, create a database of the collection, provide proper storage and train staff.

The Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Through a range of cultural preservation activities, the Bureau promotes cooperation with other countries to reduce the threat of pillage of irreplaceable cultural heritage, and develop long-term strategies for preserving cultural property.

Prior projects in Bangladesh included "Preserving the Music and Cultural Traditions of the Baul" in 2004, "Traditional Metal Craft Preservation" in 2003, "Preservation of Historical Documents from the Museum Commemorating Bangladesh's War for Indepen-dence" in 2002, and "Conservation and Improvement of Display of the Varendra Museum Collections" in 2001.