2003—Commitment

In 2003, Deborah Klimburg-Salter was invited to join the UNESCO working group on Afghanistan and participated in the second plenary session of the UNESCO International Committee (ICC) for the Conservation of Afghan Cultural Heritage. Among the decisions taken on this occasion was the initiation of the Kabul Museum scientific inventory planned by Christian Manhart (UNESCO).

2004—Laying the foundation of a cooperation

In 2004, Deborah Klimburg-Salter was invited to visit the National Museum together with a small Austrian team in order to contribute to a scientific inventory of the museum’s collections and to collaboratively design a capacity building program for the museum staff. During this first mission, it was possible to begin an inventory of confiscated objects from the site of Kharwar and an inventory of small fragmentary objects from the National Museum that had been destroyed by the Taliban. Each inventory team included, in addition to the foreign expert, several high-ranking Afghan officials and a young Kabul Museum curator. Klimburg-Salter and Susanne Novotny’s visit was sponsored by UNESCO Austria.