16 June 2014
H.E Minister of Culture Attends 38th WHC Meeting
H.E Minister of Culture Attends 38th WHC Meeting
Bahrain’s Role in Preserving World Heritage Highlighted
The 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) today opened at the National Conference Centre in Doha, Qatar. Culture Minister Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa attended the session, scheduled to run until Sunday (June 22). H.E stressed the importance of mustering all efforts to protect human heritage, highlighting Bahrain's role as host country of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage.
Worth to mention that the World Heritage Youth Forum was opened yesterday in the presence of HE Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, in conjunction with the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee to be held in Doha from June 15 to 25.
Qatar Museum Authority Board of Trustees' Chairperson Shaikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani has assumed the rotating presidency of the 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) director-general Irina Bokova stressed the drive to convene the periodic summit in different regions of the world, affirming the growing global interest in the importance of world heritage. The World Heritage Committee comprises of representatives from 21 States Parties to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage elected by the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention
The objectives of the forum are to understand the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the challenges of its implementation, raise awareness among participants of cultural heritage in their countries and explain the role of public archaeology and local communities in heritage management. The forum also aims at providing young people with skills related to preservation and conservation as well as explaining to young people how the World Heritage Committee works. The participants will explore the archaeological and heritage sites in Qatar along with heritage experts during the forum. They will take part in workshops, carry out hands-on conservation activities and participate in discussions focusing on cultural heritage, practices and processes. They will share presentations on selected sites of their countries and take part in the Youth Model of the World Heritage Committee session. Worth to mention that the Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy is the second site in Bahrain to be included on the World Heritage list in 2012 after the UNESCO World List Qala’at al Bahrain Fort achieved the status in 2007.
