Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice and Chairman of the NCIHL of the State of Qatar H E Saeed bin Abdullah Al Suwaidi and President of the Moroccan National Committee on International Humanitarian Law H E Dr. Farida El Khamlichi during the event.
Doha, Qatar: The Qatar National Committee for International Humanitarian Law (NCIHL), in collaboration with its Moroccan counterpart and the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA), organised a joint panel discussion on the protection of cultural property during armed conflicts.
The move was part of efforts to reinforce regional and international cooperation to safeguard cultural heritage and consolidate the relevant international humanitarian rules-based order.
Attending the panel were Undersecretary of the Ministry of Justice and Chairman of the Committee of the State of Qatar, H E Saeed bin Abdullah Al Suwaidi; President of the Moroccan National Committee on International Humanitarian Law, H E Dr. Farida El Khamlichi; and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Museums (QM), Mohammed Saad Al Rumaihi, alongside a variety of high-ranking officials and other stakeholders interested in this matter.
Al Suwaidi affirmed that this panel is a first-of-its-kind event that addresses a topic that not only touches the past but also forms the essence of the present and represents a responsibility toward the future. He stressed that cultural property represents a core pillar of human identity and national development, as well as a viable witness to the interaction of civilizations throughout the eras.
He explained that archaeological sites, historical landmarks, places of worship, museums, manuscripts, and tangible and intangible heritage represent the collective memory of peoples and a bridge between generations, and that any attack on them constitutes a loss to humanity.
Al Rumaihi, for his part, asserted that the protection of cultural property during armed conflicts is a moral and humanitarian responsibility that manifests a profound belief in the fact that cultural heritage forms the peoples’ memory, a pillar of their identity, and a bridge for dialogue and understanding between civilizations.
Targeting all historic and archaeological sites threatens the present and gnaws at the right of future generations to be aware of their history and its humanitarian diversity. This protection is genuinely a protection of identity and the collective memory of peoples, Al Rumaihi highlighted.
Dr. El Khamlichi underscored the substantial significance of cultural heritage for all humankind, applauding the existing partnership between the Qatari and Moroccan committees, which has helped spotlight this protection matter.
The panel discussion is an opportunity to emphasise that awareness of this protection is incorporated into the very core of identifying and spreading international humanitarian law, in addition to strengthening social and corporate awareness of protection rules, El Khamlichi underlined.
Unesco Representative to the Gulf States and Yemen and Director of its Doha Office, Salah Eddine Zaki Khaled, recalled Unesco’s gargantuan role in supporting conflict-stricken nations.
