A Tunisian delegation led by the Minister of Culture, Hayat Ketat Guermazi, is taking part in the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, which opened Monday in Doha under the theme “Towards a renewal of cultural action in the Islamic world”. The Conference marks the transfer of the presidency of the Conference from the Republic of Tunisia to the State of Qatar.
The 12th Conference is being organised over two days, by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) and the State of Qatar, represented by its Ministry of Culture. Several Ministers of Culture from ISESCO Member States, as well as representatives of regional and international organisations active in the field of culture, are taking part in this important regional event.
The 11th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World was held in Tunisia at the end of December 2019. It ended with the adoption of the Tunis Declaration on the development of current cultural policies in the Islamic world. Tunisia was elected to chair the 11th Islamic Conference of Ministers of Culture for the period 2020-2021.
The Tunis Conference coincided with the closing of the Tunis Capital of Islamic Culture 2019 event for the Arab region, organised by ISESCO.
At the opening of the 12th Conference, the Minister of Culture handed over the chairmanship of the Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Minister of Culture of Qatar, whose country is chairing the current session.
The first working session began with the adoption of the composition of the Bureau of the Conference, chaired by Qatar, with the Republic of Senegal as Vice-President and the Republic of Tunisia as Rapporteur.
The Islamic organisation announced that the Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World had adopted the new composition of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, whose members include Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Benin, Senegal, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Kazakhstan, in addition to Palestine, a permanent member of the Committee, and Qatar, the chair of the Conference.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, ISESCO Director General Salem Al-Malik said: “ISESCO carries out its mandate in the field of culture with the conviction that culture is not only an identity or a mark of social distinction”.
He stressed that ISESCO’s cultural vision, which includes the promotion of digital culture and cultural exchanges, “is based on two pillars of guidelines and policies to draw a regulatory framework for the activity aimed at promoting our culture”. This vision “is based on 2 pillars of guidelines and policies to draw a regulatory framework for activities aimed at promoting our culture”, reads the ISESCO press release.
He added that “with its approach to cultural openness, the Organisation has put forward a proposal to include culture as the 18th Sustainable Development Goal, and we hope that it will be adopted by the United Nations”.
The Director General highlighted ISESCO’s efforts and major initiatives to develop and renew cultural action in the Islamic world, using artificial intelligence and involving young people in efforts to preserve and enhance heritage, as well as creating new concepts to promote civilisational communication.
Mohamed Zine Elabidine, former Minister of Culture and Head of the Culture and Communication Sector at ISESCO, presented the organisation’s report on its achievements in the cultural field.
Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO and guest of honour at the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World, stressed that “UNESCO and ISESCO have always been complementary organisations working together to develop world cultures”. “Societies thrive thanks to their rich culture, because without culture there is no economic or social development,” she added.
For his part, Najeeb ElGhayati, Cultural Advisor to the Director General of ISESCO, presented the draft document on the development mechanisms of the ISESCO Programme for the Capitals of Culture of the Islamic World.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse