Jeddah (UNA) – The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) participated in the ninth meeting of the International Committee for the Preservation of the World Heritage, held on April 20, 2025, at the headquarters of the League of Arab States. The meeting addressed the cultural heritage threatened with extinction in member states, both tangible and intangible, and ways to protect and preserve it, especially the human heritage of Palestine, in light of the critical circumstances it is experiencing, which is of great interest to OIC member states.
Dr. Rami Inshasi, representative of the General Secretariat, delivered a speech in which he pointed out that the General Secretariat’s participation in this meeting comes as a continuation of its efforts in the field of heritage preservation within the framework of implementing the ministerial decisions adopted by a number of successive sessions of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Member States, which urged Member States to establish an OIC platform for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. The most recent of these was Ministerial Resolution No. 10/50-Th issued by the 50th session (August 2024 in Cameroon) on the protection and preservation of Islamic historical and cultural heritage. In addition, there are numerous conferences and activities in this regard, which confirm the Member States’ commitment to making every possible effort to enhance joint action in the field of preserving cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, in Member States and what it represents, with its multiple and diverse identities.
In his intervention, he also touched upon the catastrophic situation surrounding cultural heritage in Palestine, especially in light of the current painful events. The General Secretariat's proposal to organize a joint international conference to shed light on issues related to the preservation and protection of cultural heritage in our member states was welcomed by the committee members, with the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Culture, expressing its readiness to cooperate in this regard with the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other regional and international organizations.
It is worth noting that the General Secretariat's participation in this important meeting comes within the context of existing cooperation with the League of Arab States in various areas of mutual interest, including cultural affairs, as outlined in the memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides.
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