UAE – The signing of an agreement to establish an international center for capacity building in the field of intangible cultural heritage in the Arab countries
The United Arab Emirates and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) signed today an agreement to establish an international center for capacity-building in the field of intangible cultural heritage in the Arab States, based in the Emirate of Charjah.
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The agreement, signed by UAE Minister of Culture and Youth Noura bint Mohammed al-Kaabi and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, focuses on capacity-building to preserve intangible cultural heritage. The goal of the agreement is to strengthen the 2003 Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage and contribute to its implementation in Arab countries, and to strengthen the institutional capacities of Arab countries in this field.
The Center is also entrusted with promoting the purposes and principles of the 2003 Convention in the region, raising the level of participation of communities, groups and individuals in the protection of intangible cultural heritage, raising awareness of and ensuring respect for it in the Arab States, and promoting regional and international cooperation for its protection.
Under the supervision of UNESCO, the Center will implement short- and long-term capacity-building programs and activities in the area of the protection of intangible cultural heritage, based on the program developed by UNESCO, adapting the capacity-building materials and data developed by UNESCO to the regional context and ensuring their translation into Arabic.
Under the Convention, the Center will also build networks of communication and communication between communities, groups and individuals concerned to support the transfer and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage, organize regional and international public activities and meetings, and promote international and regional networks of communication for the exchange of information and knowledge on the protection of intangible cultural heritage, including in the context of the Convention’s general results framework and periodic reporting.
In a statement following the signing of the agreement, Noura bint Mohammed Al-Kaabi stressed the need to preserve and protect the intangible cultural heritage, as it is a cultural heritage that benefits all humanity.
This requires strengthening partnerships with international organizations active in this field, in order to achieve more cooperation to preserve this heritage for future generations and to establish institutions capable of reaching this goal.
