H.E. Mrs. Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates, received on September 8, 2022 at the seat of the Ministry in Abu Dhabi, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO.
The Minister thanked the Director-General for this visit which offers a renewed opportunity to intensify coordination and consultation between the two sides on matters of shared interest. She commended the significant level of cooperation between ALECSO, the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth and the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science. She stressed her readiness to increase cooperation in cultural fields, and further promote the implementation of the resolutions of the 22nd Conference of Arab Culture Ministers, held in Dubai in December 2021.
For his part, the Director-General expressed his gratitude for the UAE’s hosting of the meetings of the Expert Committee in charge of preparing the “Henna” file for inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. He also expressed appreciation of the excellent conditions provided for the success of the meetings. He emphasized, on this occasion, the need to give increased care and attention to youth, develop their sense of belonging to the Arab Nation and their attachment to their identity amid current challenges, and offer them access to quality and inclusive education in line with Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed to pursue coordination in documenting and preserving intangible heritage, so that the memory of Arab customs, traditions, knowledge, arts, rituals, practices and skills remains present for future generations.
Following this meeting, the Director-General chaired the closing of the Expert Meeting, and delivered Certificates of Appreciation to the representatives of the 16 countries involved in the preparation of the inscription file.
