Over the course of 3 days, the archaeological site of Uthina in the capital, Tunis, hosted a workshop to present community participation to protect cultural heritage sponsored by the United States Embassy in Libya and organized by the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR) within the framework of a $200,000 grant as part of the grant competition of the implementation of cultural properties agreement that underpins a 5-year bilateral memorandum of understanding between the United States and Libya signed on February 26, 2018.
The US Special Envoy and US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland stressed the importance of such projects, noting the efforts made by his country within the framework of preserving Libyan cultural heritage in partnership with the responsible authorities in the state and organizations such as scouts, stressing the importance of providing a factor of stability in the country.
For his part, the Executive Director of the American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), Andrew J. Vaughn stressed the importance of the common cultural heritage, explaining that it is what distinguishes human beings. In the same context, he mentioned that such programs sponsored by ASOR show that human identity is not determined by a single curriculum, but rather by what the heritage contains of comprehensive characteristics.
For his part, the head of the Antiquities Authority in Tripoli, Mohamed Faraj Al-Shakshuki, expressed his hope that the American side would understand the situation that Libya has gone through in recent years, and that the memorandum of understanding that was signed 5 years ago to protect cultural heritage will be renewed, because circumstances did not allow its application. He also stressed the role of civil society to protect the archaeological and cultural heritage.