Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani (fifth right) along with other culture ministers and delegates at the opening of the ICESCO conference in Doha yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and hosted by the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Culture, began yesterday, under the slogan “Towards Renewing Cultural Work in the Islamic World”.
Participants included a number of ministers of cultural affairs, delegations of ICESCO member states, and representatives of a group of regional and international organisations working in the cultural fields.
The conference approved the formation of the conference bureau for its next session, which extends over the years 2024-2025, as Qatar took over the presidency from Tunisia, where Qatar will serve as rapporteur of the Council, and the State of Senegal as vice-president.
The 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture in Islamic World kicked off in Doha yesterday under the theme ‘’Toward renewing cultural action in the Islamic world.”
Hosted by Qatar, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) event featured the participation of a number of ministers of cultural affairs, delegations of the ICESCO members states, as well as representatives of a group of regional and international organisations working in cultural fields.
The conference approved the formation of its office in its upcoming session that will be held throughout 2024-2025, as Qatar has taken over presidency from Tunisia and will serve as rapporteur of the Council and Senegal as vice-president.
In his remarks before the first session, Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani welcomed the participants, pointing out that the convention of this conference came after Doha was the capital of Islamic culture two years ago, during which Doha translated the cultural richness it abounds with as the land of dialogue and the forum for cultures whose cultural events had contributed to introducing the characteristics of Islamic culture on its land.
Qatar gives top priority to culture in achieving development and building human, as culture existed during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the most outstanding global event that was successfully organised by Qatar, he said.
He affirmed that the World Cup was not merely a sport occasion, but rather it proved that culture is the bedrock of global events whatever their types are, pointing out that Qatar broadcast all cultural, Arabic, and Islamic messages that gained respect of the world and identified the richness of Qatari values and abilities to build a civilized character.
The Minister stressed that renewal is fraught with risks if national culture is not immune at home and capable of imposing its privacies abroad, calling for safeguarding the cultural identity and protecting the new generations in facing subversive ideologies.
In his inaugural remarks, the minister sent his earnest condolences to the families of victims and peoples of Morocco and Libya who were traumatised in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Morocco and the storm that engulfed areas of Libya this month. He said Arab cultures are deep rooted in the Islamic values and make the nations one body; if a member of it is afflicted, the whole of the body is involved both in waking and in fever.
Meanwhile, ICESCO Director-General, Salim bin Mohammed Al Malik, thanked H H the Amir, the government, and the people of Qatar for hosting this tremendous cultural event in Doha which has been the capital of culture in the Islamic world two years ago.
Qatar has demonstrated an incredible proficiency and rose to the challenges of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, where culture gained ample luck in the history of the global tournament, Al Malik said.
He underlined that ICESCO discharges it duty in the cultural action, since culture is not merely a hobby or a badge of social discrimination, but it is the pulse of nations in advancing civilization, reviewing ICESCO’s efforts and initiatives to upgrade and renew the cultural action in the Islamic world through leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), including young people in the efforts of preserving and valuing heritage, setting a number of projects and programmes, as well as innovating new concepts for the service of the civilized communication.
Former Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova, who attended the conference as a guest of honour, hailed Islam as a religion of peace and Islamic civilization as a driver for rapprochement among cultures. She said Islamic values promote science, culture, and civilizational interaction.
Praising Qatar’s World Cup hosting, Bokova said Qatar had turned the global mega event into a dialogue of cultures. She also expressed appreciation for Qatar’s cultural renaissance and its cooperation with Unesco in various fields including heritage, with Doha having hosted the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2013.
Bokova lauded ICESCO’s efforts in preserving heritage, supporting youth and women, and partnering with Unesco to achieve many goals.
