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Featured Articles

December, 2009
GHF Mirador One of Top Ten Discoveries in 2009- Archaeology Magazine

December, 2009
GHF Banteay Chhmar Featured on CNN:
Cambodia's Hidden Gem

November, 2009
GHF Mirador Featured on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: Lost City of Mirador
The "cradle of Mayan Civilization"

November, 2009
GHF in Smithsonian Magazine: Nan Madol: The City Built on Coral Reefs

November, 2009
GHF Featured in CNN Impact Your World: Saving the Past

November, 2009
GHF Featured in BBC Mundo: Mayan Treasure in Danger

November, 2009
GHF Featured in the Evening Standard

October, 2009
GHF Wins Global Vision Award from Travel + Leisure Magazine

October, 2009
GHF Featured in CNN International

September, 2009
GHF Featured in Fox Business

September, 2009
GHF Featured in The Economist

September, 2009
GHF Featured in CNN

July, 2009
GHF in Newsweek

June, 2009
GHF Banteay Chhmar Featured in The Washington Post: Peacefulness Is Still Intact In Cambodia's Remote Ruins

June, 2009
GHF Banteay Chhmar Featured in The New York Times: Coaxing a Khmer Temple From the Jungle’s Embrace

April 2009
GHF in Vanity Fair

April 2009
GHF in the Independent

March 2009
GHF Mirador Project International Press Features

March 2009
GHF Featured in the San Jose Mercury News

December, 2008
GHF Mirador Featured in the San Jose Mercury News

January, 2008
GHF Mirador Featured in International Press

December, 2007
GHF Pingyao Featured in Architectural Digest

October, 2007
GHF Cyrene Featured in The New York Times

September, 2007
GHF Cyrene Featured in Daily Telegraph. Quote from Stefaan Poortman, Manager, International Development

December, 2006
Protecting Precious Places

December, 2006
GHF Mirador Featured in National Geographic

January, 2006
Architecture: Monumental Task: Funding the Race Against Time

January, 2006
Preservation: Sure, It's a Good Thing, but..

More Articles

May 2009
GHF Mirador in the News:
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Global Heritage Fund and PACUNAM to Invest $1.3 Million in Mirador Community Tourism Program for Conservation and Sustainable Development

May 2009
Unearthing the Mayan Creation Myth
Researchers find that the tale of the "Hero Twins" goes back more than 2,000 years.

March 2009
GHF Banteay Chhmar Featured in Cambodia Daily Weekend

2008
GHF featured in "The Gift of Passionaries" book

November, 2008
Rescuing Mayan Heritage in Central America: The New Conservation Model

November, 2008
GHF Featured in ElPeriodico – New Guatemalan Association PACUNAM

August, 2008
GHF featured in Palo Alto Weekly
Building a future on ancient sites
Palo Alto nonprofit preserves ancient sites around the world

September 2008
GHF Funding aids Cambodia National Museum's New Conservation Laboratory

July 2008
British Airways First Class Magazine Features Global Heritage Fund Executive Director

June, 2008
Global Heritage Fund Executive Director, Jeff Morgan,
Carries Olympic Torch for World Heritage and
International Cooperation

May, 2008
GHF Mirador in the Press

May, 2008
Tourism circuit of harappan sites of Gujarat

May, 2008
Saving One Heritage Site at a Time

March, 2008
Awesome Ancient Sites
Ruins not yet ruined by too many tourists

January, 2008
GHF Hampi Featured in The Times of India

November, 2007
Prince Charles visits Ancient Site in Anatolia to Commemorate new Site Museum and Visitors Center

Fall 2007
Saving the Mirador Basin. GHF featured in American Archaeology Magazine

July, 2007
Global Heritage Google Earth Outreach Launch

June, 2007
Site-seeing: Reports from the Field: Along the Nakbe Trail

April, 2007
Fire Alerts Go Global

February, 2007
GHF Mirador: Digging for the Truth "New Maya Revelations" to air on History Channel

January 7, 2007
Destination: Guatemala
Atop the world of the Maya

December 31, 2006
The mystery of Maya's jungle heart

December 15, 2006
GHF Mirador Featured in Daily Mail

Nov, Dec 2006
The Mission for Mirador: Ecoconservationists are working to save Guatemala's wilderness, wildlife, and ruins

September 12, 2006
The United States Department of the Interior and the Government of Guatemala Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Protect Major Maya Archaeological Sites at El Mirador

August, 2006
A Home for the Indus - GHF's support of Indus Valley research, excavations and museums in Gujarat

August 18, 2006
Iraq's ancient gem - GHF mentioned in Arizona Daily Star article

July 4, 2006
Group guarding world's heritage

June 30, 2006
Indus Heritage Center Explores Ancient India Roots

June 17, 2006
Haunted By History - The ruins of a contested capital are still hostage to geopolitics

June, 17, 2006
The Ties That Divide - KARS: Locals dream of reopening the frontier between Turkey and Armenia

May, 2006
On Ancient Walls, a New Maya Epoch

March, 2006
Scanning Our Heritage. Laser Scanning For Cultural Heritage Applications. US Berkeley team scanning GHF Project, Chavín de Huántar

February 25, 2006
GHF Chavin de Huantar Featured on History Channel's 'Digging for the Truth'

February 10, 2006
Into The Wild - Searching The Jungle For Buried Mayan Treasure In Guatemala

January 25, 2006
$10m Museum to Re-Visit an Ancient Civilisation

January 17, 2006
Flip side of World Heritage status

December 24, 2005
GHF and Jindal Group to rebuild Hampi

December 20, 2005
GHF Founding Investor Bill Draper Featured in San Francisco Chronicle
Draper Fellowship Awarded to Global Heritage Fund in 2003

December 10, 2005
Running after fabulous ruins - Global Heritage Fund featured in The Hindu for work in Hampi UNESCO World Heritage site, Karnataka, India

November 25, 2005
GHF's Conservation in Shanxi Province Featured in Wall Street Journal - 'History's Last Salvation'

November, 2005
Global Heritage Fund Kars Heritage Program Featured on CNN Turkey

November 12, 2005
In Guatemala, A Battle Over Logs And a Lost Kingdom. Mr. Hansen Aims to Preserve Vast Mayan Ruin as Park; Skeptical, Villagers Fight

October 5 2005
Jeff Morgan's global approach to preservation could bring tourism, stability to postwar Iraq. Cornell University Chronicle Online article

October 2005
Return to Cyrene. GHF Funding Assists GIS Mapping of Cyrene

August 24, 2005
Kars wants to reopen its border on the Caucases

May 2005
Saving Our Global Heritage. GHF's CEO, Jeff Morgan, Featured in Gentry Magazine. (1.57 PDF)

April 28, 2005
Repairing Lost Monuments in Vietnam. GHF featured on ABC Vietnam special
.

March 31, 2005
El Mirador Nominated as World Heritage Site. ElPeriodico article

March 31, 2005
El Mirador to be declared cultural heritage. Siglo article

April 18, 2005
Layers of clustered apartments hide artifacts of ancient urban life City on Turkish plains a major draw for 'goddess tours'

April, 2005
Set in Stone. Can Jeff Morgan save the world through enlightened tourism? (766k PDF)

April, 2005
Before It's Ruined: Northern Vietnam. You can lose the crowds at stunning My Son Sanctuary and Bach Ma National Park. (461k PDF)

March 30, 2005
Come and See. An increasing number of US and UK charities are organising donor field trips, which appeal to wealthy donors who want to see their cash in action rather than go to expensive fundraising diners. GHF featured in Third Sector article. (379k PDF)

Feb 11, 2005
How much difference does UNESCO make?

Jan/Feb 2005
Stone Temple Secrets. What happened in the underground labyrinth of ancient Peru? Archaeologist John Rick gets to the bottom of a 3,000-year-old mystery.

Oct 20 , 2004
From Ancient Ruins To Tourist Destinations

2005
Local man fights to protect cultural sites

"Saving Our Global Heritage" - the book
"Saving Our Global Heritage" - the book
 
Return to GHF in the News main page

Maya Cradle is preparing for tourism

By Leonel Díaz Zeceña
29/05/2009 13:07

Prensa Libre

Visiting the city where the ancient Mayan culture began, and experiencing a tour through the last virgin forest of Central America, with all the tourist amenities, will be possible within three years.

The project aims to make a tourist trip to the oldest Mayan city: Mirador, with emphasis on the care of nature, and community support (which will serve as guardian), has taken the first step in obtaining funds.

With a duration of three years and a budget of U.S. $ 1.3 billion, the plan calls for hiring an international firm that has worked in heritage tourism plans in Greece, Egypt and Peru, among others, to develop strategies, routes and services required for bring visitors to Mirador.

The funds come from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which donated U.S. $ 907.7 thousand, U.S. $ 215 thousand of the Global Heritage Fund, and $ 215 thousand, of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Foundation Maya (Pacunam), the latter comprising the largest companies in Guatemala.

Tenders for the analysis of the region (with global positioning technology) and trace the route (including archaeological sites), beginning in July, and field work would be from August to January 2010.

"The idea is to locate and unite all the services needed by tourists, from hotels, shops and even puncture, if traveling in your vehicle," said Juan Carlos Zapata, Foundation for Development (Fundeso).

The second step is to train and involve the community in caring for the area and promote tourism which has environmental as well as the services provided, and this phase would begin in February next year and culminate at the end of 2010.

The last step is the promotion and tourism, starting in 2011. The goal is to move from two thousand tourists that now visit the site, to six thousand per year.

 

Cuna de los mayas se
prepara al turismo
Prensa Libre
   

Spanish Text:

Por Leonel Díaz Zeceña
May 29, 2009

Visitar la ciudad donde inició la milenaria cultura maya, y experimentar un paseo por el último bosque virgen de Centroamérica —con todas las comodidades turísticas— será posible dentro de tres años.

El proyecto que pretende hacer una ruta turística a la más antigua ciudad maya: Mirador, con énfasis en el cuidado de la naturaleza, y con apoyo de las comunidades (que harán las veces de guardianes), ha dado el primer paso al obtener fondos.

Con una duración de tres años y un presupuesto de US$1.3 millones, el plan prevé la contratación de una empresa internacional que haya trabajado en planes turísticos de patrimonios en Grecia, Perú o Egipto, entre otros, para establecer estrategias, rutas y servicios necesarios para llevar visitantes a Mirador.

Los fondos provienen del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), que donó US$907.7 mil; US$215 mil del Global Heritage Fund, y US$215 mil, de la Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (Pacunam), éste último conformado por las más grandes empresas de Guatemala.

Las licitaciones para el análisis de la región (con tecnología de posicionamiento global) y trazo de la ruta (que incluiría otros sitios arqueológicos), iniciaría en julio próximo, y el trabajo de campo sería desde agosto hasta enero del 2010.

“La idea es localizar y unir todos los servicios que necesita un turista; desde hoteles, hasta tiendas e, inclusive, pinchazos, por si viajan en su vehículo”, afirmó Juan Carlos Zapata, de la Fundación para el Desarrollo (Fundesa).

El segundo paso será capacitar a la comunidad e involucrarlos en el cuidado de la zona, y promover que haya turismo ambiental, así como los servicios que se prestarán; esta etapa iniciaría en febrero del próximo año, y culminaría a finales del 2010.

El último paso será de promoción y turismo, que comenzaría en el 2011. El objetivo es pasar de los dos mil turistas, que en la actualidad visitan el sitio, a seis mil por año.

---------------------------------------------------------------


FUNDESA and FOMIN sign agreement to implement the Project Definition and Management of a Tourist Destination in the North Area Cluster Cuatro Balam, in Petén.  
   

The Project will benefit 300 families in the rural Peten, seeks to help businesses protect the Mirador Basin in a sustainable manner. Will be implemented by FUNDESA with financial support from the MIF, and GHF Foundation PACUNAM.

Guatemala City, May 29 2009 - The Foundation for the Development of Guatemala FUNDESA and MIF Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank signed a cooperation agreement to carry out the Project Definition and Management in a Tourist Destination the North Area Cluster Cuatro Balam, in Petén. This project also will have the financial support of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Foundation Maya (PACUNAM) and Global Heritage Fund (GHF).

The project seeks to benefit 300 small community projects and in the tourism sector and those of related services, located in the North Area Cluster Cuatro Balam, in the department of Petén. They include owners of hotels, tour operators, transport companies (buses and taxis), restaurants, guides, artisans, community organizations, among others.

The purpose of the project is to contribute to sustainable use of Guatemala as a tourist icon of the Mayan culture. The purpose is to support the definition and management of a tourist destination in the North Area Cluster Cuatro Balam in Petén, and the engagement of local communities and other stakeholders MSMEs in the value chain of the industry.

The project components are: 1) Defining the target market of tourism planning and destination, 2) Development and implementation of a community partnership model for tourism, 3) Product development, 4) Strengthening community focused on tourism demand through Training and Technical Assistance, 5) Marketing and Promotion.

The project will last 36 months of operation with a budget of $ 1,337,780.00. MIF will provide U.S. $ 907,780.00 and the contribution shall be granted by PACUNAM (U.S. $ 215,000.00) and GHF (U.S. $ 215,000).

The project is part of the shares in Petén Multisectorial officers and will be coordinated with the Foundation for Anthropological Studies and Environmental Studies (FARES), the Association of Friends of Natural and Cultural Heritage of Guatemala Khan Balam (APANAC), Association BALAM, Counterpart International, Association of Forest Communities (ACOFOB) and public institutions such as the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), the National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP) and the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT), amongst others.

As part of the project will be a formal presentation in June before the Bureau Multisectorial, to seek common measures to integrate efforts to achieve greater economic and social development in communities of northern Petén.

Foundation for the Development of Guatemala, FUNDESA is a private, nonprofit formed by entrepreneurs in their personal capacity. Works to influence the development, sustainable and democratic development in a market economy and rule of law through the consolidation of an independent and representative with a purpose and long-term vision on the key issues for development of Guatemalans.

Multilateral Investment Fund, MIF is the major source of non-reimbursable technical assistance for the development of micro and small enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean, has a clear mandate: to promote economic growth, including through the development of the sector private, particularly micro and small enterprises. With the replenishment of entry into force in March 2007, the MIF II goes forward with a renewed focus on poverty reduction.

Natural Heritage Foundation and Maya PACUNAM is a private, nonprofit, with a long term vision, working to educate, preserve, protect and disseminate the cultural and natural heritage Maya promoting responsible tourism, sustainable and profitable.

Global Heritage Fund, GHF is an international non-profit conservation, established in 2002 in Palo Alto, California, its mission is to safeguard the cultural heritage of humanity that are most significant and endangered the planet, in developing countries through scientific excellence and involvement of communities.

 

FUNDESA y FOMIN firman convenio para la ejecución del Proyecto “Definición y Gestión de un Destino Turístico en el Clúster Norte del Área Cuatro Balam, en Petén”.  
   

Spanish Text

El Proyecto que beneficiará a 300 familias del área rural de Petén, busca generar emprendimientos que ayuden a proteger la Cuenca Mirador de manera sostenible. Será ejecutado por FUNDESA con el apoyo financiero del FOMIN, Fundación PACUNAM y GHF.

Ciudad de Guatemala, 29 de mayo 2009 – La Fundación para el Desarrollo de Guatemala FUNDESA y el Fondo Multilateral de Inversión FOMIN del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, firmaron un convenio de cooperación para llevar a cabo el Proyecto “Definición y Gestión de un Destino Turístico en el Clúster Norte del Área Cuatro Balam, en Petén”. Dicho proyecto además, contará con el apoyo financiero de la Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (PACUNAM) y Global Heritage Fund (GHF).

El proyecto busca beneficiar a 300 microempresas y proyectos comunitarios en el sector turismo y aquellas de servicios conexos, ubicadas en el Clúster Norte del Área Cuatro Balam, en el departamento de Petén. Se incluyen a propietarios de hoteles, tour operadores, empresas de transporte (buses y taxis), restaurantes, guías, artesanos, organizaciones comunitarias, entre otros.

El fin del proyecto es contribuir a la sostenibilidad del aprovechamiento turístico de Guatemala como icono de la cultura Maya. El propósito es apoyar la definición y gestión de un destino turístico en el Clúster Norte del Área Cuatro Balam en Petén, así como la participación en el mismo de las comunidades locales y otros actores MiPYMEs en la cadena de valor del sector.

Los componentes del proyecto son: 1) Definición del mercado objetivo y planificación turística del destino, 2) Desarrollo y aplicación de un modelo de asociatividad comunitaria turística, 3) Desarrollo de producto, 4) Fortalecimiento comunitario enfocado a la demanda turística a través de Formación y Asistencia Técnica, 5) Mercadeo y Promoción.

El proyecto tendrá una duración de 36 meses de ejecución con un presupuesto de US$1,337,780.00. FOMIN aportará US$907,780.00 y la contrapartida será otorgada por PACUNAM (US$215,000.00) y GHF (US$215,000).

El proyecto forma parte de las acciones de la Mesa Multisectorial de Petén y será coordinado con la Fundación para el Estudio Antropológico y Estudios Ambientales (FARES), la Asociación de Amigos del Patrimonio Natural y Cultural de Guatemala Balam Khan (APANAC), Asociación BALAM, Counterpart International, Asociación de Comunidades Forestales (ACOFOB) e instituciones públicas como el Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARN), el Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP) y el Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo (INGUAT), entre otros.

Como parte de las acciones del proyecto se realizará una presentación formal en el mes de junio ante la Mesa Multisectorial, con el objetivo de buscar acciones comunes que permitan integrar esfuerzos para lograr un mayor desarrollo económico y social en las comunidades del norte de Petén.

Fundación para el Desarrollo de Guatemala, FUNDESA es una entidad privada, no lucrativa conformada por empresarios a título personal. Trabaja para incidir en el desarrollo integral, sostenible y democrático, en una Economía de Mercado y un Estado de Derecho, mediante la consolidación de una organización independiente y representativa con un enfoque propositivo y con visión de largo plazo, sobre los temas clave para el desarrollo de los guatemaltecos.

Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones, FOMIN es la fuente principal de recursos no reembolsables de asistencia técnica para el desarrollo de micro y pequeñas empresas en América Latina y el Caribe, ha tenido un mandato claro: promocionar el crecimiento económico con inclusión a través del desarrollo del sector privado, particularmente micro y pequeñas empresas. Con la reposición de recursos entrada en vigor en marzo de 2007, el FOMIN II sigue adelante con un foco renovado en la reducción de la pobreza.

Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya, PACUNAM es una entidad privada, no lucrativa, que con una visión de largo plazo, trabaja para educar, mantener, proteger y difundir el patrimonio cultural y natural Maya, promoviendo un turismo responsable, sostenible y rentable.

Global Heritage Fund, GHF es una entidad internacional no lucrativa de conservación, establecida en el 2002 en Palo Alto, California, su misión es salvaguardar los patrimonios culturales de la humanidad que sean más significativos y en peligro del planeta, en países en desarrollo a través de la excelencia científica y el involucramiento de las comunidades.

http://www.transdoc.com.gt/interna.php?id=9779

---------------------------------------------------------------


IDB signs agreement to set ambitious tourism project in Guatemala

Invertia
   

The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed Friday an agreement to fund a study to define an ambitious tour that will benefit some 300 families in northern Guatemala.

The MIF has signed an agreement with the Foundation for Development (FUNDESO), which will execute the Project Definition and Management of a Tourist Destination in the North Area Cluster Cuatro Balam, in Peten, some 500 km north of the capital indicates the second entity in a statement.

Cuatro Balam is located in the so-called Mirador Basin, an area that still has virgin forests and houses important relics of the Mayan civilization, most buried in mounds. Dicho proyecto contará también con el apoyo financiero de la Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (PACUNAM) y Global Heritage Fund (GHF).

This project will also have the financial support of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Foundation Maya (PACUNAM) and Global Heritage Fund (GHF).

The project will last 36 months of operation with a budget of $ 1,337,780, of which the MIF will provide $ 907,780, the PACUNAM a total of 215,000 and the rest GHF committed $ 215,000.

The project seeks to benefit 300 small community projects and in tourism and related services.

Fundeso is a private, nonprofit formed by private entrepreneurs, while MIF is the major source of non-reimbursable technical assistance for the development of micro and small enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean IDB.

BID firma convenio para definir ambicioso proyecto turístico en Guatemala

Invertia
   
Spanish Text

29 de Mayo de 2009
El Fondo Multilateral de Inversión (Fomin) del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) firmó este viernes un convenio para financiar un estudio que definirá un ambicioso plan turístico que beneficiará a unas 300 familias en el norte de Guatemala.

El Fomin firmó el acuerdo con la Fundación para el Desarrollo (Fundesa), que se encargará de ejecutar el Proyecto "Definición y Gestión de un Destino Turístico en el Clúster Norte del Área Cuatro Balam, en Petén", unos 500 km al norte de la capital, indica la segunda entidad en un comunicado.

Los Cuatro Balam está ubicado en la llamada Cuenca Mirador, una zona que aún tiene bosques vírgenes y alberga vestigios importantes de la civilización maya, la mayoría enterrados en montículos.

Dicho proyecto contará también con el apoyo financiero de la Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (PACUNAM) y Global Heritage Fund (GHF).

El proyecto tendrá una duración de 36 meses de ejecución con un presupuesto de 1.337.780 dólares, de los cuales el Fomin aportará 907.780 dólares, el PACUNAM un total de 215.000 y GHF el resto comprometido de 215.000 dólares.

"El fin del proyecto es contribuir a la sostenibilidad del aprovechamiento turístico de Guatemala como icono de la cultura Maya", afirma la nota de prensa.

El proyecto busca beneficiar a 300 microempresas y proyectos comunitarios en el sector turístico y servicios conexos.

Fundesa es una entidad privada, no lucrativa conformada por empresarios a título privado, mientras que Fomin es la fuente principal de recursos no reembolsables de asistencia técnica para el desarrollo de micro y pequeñas empresas en América Latina y el Caribe del BID.

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