ALECSO Director-General to QNA: "Katara Initiative has given Arabic Novel its Place.. We Pay Great Attention to Protecting Cultural Heritage in Jerusalem

Tunis, June 18 (QNA) - HE Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, praised the fruitful cooperation between the organization and the State of Qatar in cultural matters. His Excellency stressed the organizations role in protecting the cultural and civilizational heritage in the city of Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories, and striving to international governmental and non-governmental organizations, working in the cultural field, to expose the practices of the Israeli occupation in destroying Arab and Islamic cultural institutions, stressing that the Palestinian cause, with all its components and ramifications, receives special attention and support from the organization and all Arab countries.
HE ALECSO Director General said, in an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the organization, based on the request submitted by the Cultural Village Foundation "Katara" in 2016, and in coordination with the rest of the Arab countries, succeeded in presenting a pioneering initiative to grant the Arabic novel its position in the Arab and global cultural scene in general, as the World Novel Week was adopted during the meeting of the Executive Council of UNESCO in its 112th session, and the General Conference of UNESCO in its 41st session, which was held in November of last year, and then there will be an annual celebration during the period 13-20 October of each year with narrators and novels in its various genres, topics, purposes and books.
His Excellency pointed out that this occasion is an opportunity all over the world to spread the values of tolerance, peace and coexistence and to promote human creativity in this field, especially introducing what is rich in Arab civilization and highlighting it to all humanity, explaining that the organization has begun preparing for this week by communicating with all those interested in this field in all Arab countries, the intention is to adopt a theme for each session, and for the first session to be a joint Arab celebration, while leaving the initiative to each Arab country to celebrate in its own way.
His Excellency stressed that the issue of Palestine and its heritage is present in all activities, programs and conferences held by ALECSO, especially with regard to the cultural aspect and mobilizing support for it, as well as dedicating a session in the Conference on Archeology and Cultural Heritage of the Palestinian Heritage, as well as with regard to the meetings of the Urban and Architectural Heritage Observatory in Arab States, whose fifth meeting was devoted to the topic preserving cities of human heritage in danger the City of Jerusalem.
His Excellency added that the 40th meeting of the Committee of Arab experts in the world cultural and natural heritage was devoted to studying the Arab files registered on the list of world heritage in danger, during which special focus was given to the Jerusalem file: the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls.
His Excellency also called for the necessity of evaluating the course of Arab cultural work during the period of the Coronavirus pandemic, and proposing an Arab cultural project that carries dynamic confrontations and responds to the challenges facing the joint Arab cultural work. "We need a project that foresee solutions and supports the exchange of experiences and successful experiences in the field of cultural sectors between Arab countries and benefit from them to achieve a sustainable recovery in local economies based on creativity," His Excellency said.
His Excellency noted that the organization is currently working with specialized agencies in Arab countries to implement this project according to the needs expressed by countries, stressing the vital and decisive role of culture in times of crisis, because culture enhances the sense of belonging to human society and gives meaning to humanity and civilizational values.
HE Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar explained that ALECSO had developed a joint Arab cultural project during the Coronavirus crisis, to enhance the professional and practical capabilities of operators and workers in the field of culture and heritage in the Arab countries to support the social safety for workers in the culture and heritage sector, and to strengthen the capacities of individuals and small cultural institutions to be able to withstand the challenges of the current crisis. The project offers a wide range of activities, including capacity support, networking and accompaniment, structuring cultural institutions and sponsoring small and emerging institutions in the field of culture and heritage, noting that this project came after the cultural and creativity sector in the Arab countries was exposed to large financial losses in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, and increased rates of unemployment among creators, technicians, employees and workers associated with these sectors.
His Excellency noted that the Arab countries have adopted varying policies to confront the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic and its negative effects on the cultural and creative sectors, considering that most of these policies and measures were not sufficient to save these sectors and contain the repercussions of the pandemic, and therefore it is not possible to measure the projects reflection on the current cultural situation and verify its results before the completion of the approved executive program for the current year, revealing that a report will be submitted on the progress of the projects completion and what it was achieved during the upcoming conference of ministers responsible for cultural affairs in the Arab world, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next December. (MORE)