Qatar
Meeting on adding Bisht onto Unesco Cultural Heritage List kicks off
February 19, 2024 | 10:31 PM
Doha hosted on Monday the meeting of the final drafting committee for the file of Bisht (men's cloak), to include the Bisht as one of intangible cultural heritage elements onto the list of cultural heritage of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).The four-day meeting is organised by the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (QNCECS), in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Alecso).Speaking on the occasion, QNCECS acting secretary-general Ali Abdul Razzaq Marafie said that the meeting would complete what was accomplished regarding the Bisht file in the first co-ordination meeting previously hosted by the Ministry of Culture.All of this, he noted, comes within the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and aims to enhance community awareness of its importance in terms of skill, knowledge, practices, etc., and transfer them to future generations as well as enhance the consolidation of national identity and achieving rapprochement, understanding and exchange of knowledge between different cultures and peoples.This would be towards achieving the priorities of the Third National Development Strategy of Qatar 2024-2030 in creating a cohesive society, providing a high-quality life for members of society, and emphasising what was stipulated in the MONDIACULT Declaration that was launched during the Unesco World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development for the year 2022, in recognition of culture as a global public good, to enable and advance sustainable development.Marafie affirmed that the co-operation of the QNCECS with the Ministry of Culture and Alecso provided an opportunity for all experts to exchange knowledge and develop national capabilities to achieve integration between Arab countries, which contributes to documenting the shared Arab heritage and history and disseminating it globally.It also reflects Qatar's commitment to preserving and enhancing its heritage and educating future generations about the importance of caring for cultural heritage and ensuring its sustainability.Sheikha Najla bint Faisal al-Thani, the director of the Ministry of Culture’s Heritage and Identity Department, said that this joint Arab file demonstrates the unity of cultural heritage in the Arab world and enhances the unity and support for the shared Arab heritage.She appreciated the efforts made by the participants to achieve the goal of registering the Bisht as was done in previous joint Arab files, such as the file of the palm tree, Arabic calligraphy henna, or any joint Arab project in the future.Dr Hamid bin Saif al-Nawafli, the director of Alecso's Culture Department, expressed his thanks to Qatar, as the co-ordinator of the Bisht file, for launching this initiative. – QNA
February 19, 2024 | 10:31 PM