The International Council of Museums Arab Countries Alliance (ICOM-ARAB) has elected Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed al-Thani, vice-chairman of the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) board of trustees, as the new Chair of ICOM-ARAB and Nasser Youssef al-Hammadi, curator at QMA, as treasurer of the council.
“The election of Sheikh Hassan as the new Chair of ICOM-ARAB in addition to a number of Qatari museum experts comes as a result of the great trust the Arab countries and ICOM international members have in Qataris, their work, educational background and professional expertise,” said al-Hammadi. “On this occasion, we would like to dedicate this achievement to the Qatari people and HE Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, QMA chairperson, whose support was essential to the success of Qatar in the field of museums. We hope during our tenure at ICOM-ARAB to highlight the cultural progress of the State of Qatar.”
In 2003, QMA became a member of ICOM with which it shares the commitment to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world’s historical and cultural heritage, including Qatari art and heritage.
Several thousand museums experts from all over the world participated in this year’s ICOM General Conference, exchanged ideas, discussed the challenges museums face today and debated the theme - Museums (memory + creativity) = social change.
ICOM-ARAB is a Regional Alliance of the International Council of Museums. It provides a forum for the exchange of information and co-operation between museums and museum professionals in the participating National Committees of the Arab Countries region.
ICOM-ARAB is a partner of other regional ICOM organisations in the conservation, continuation and communication of culture.