With the participation of Syria, the 4th Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage concludes its activities in the UAE

Abu Dhabi (ST): With the participation of Syria, the activities of the 4th Arab Forum for Cultural Heritage concluded in the United Arab Emirates, under the title “The Culture of Urbanization and the Resilience of Heritage”. The event was organized by the Regional Center for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the Arab World (ICCROM-Sharjah), in cooperation with the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and the Arab Educational and Cultural Organization and Science at the office headquarters in the International Organizations Center for Cultural Heritage in the University City.

The forum focused this year, according to a statement on five main axes: “The concept of urban culture”, “The importance of urban culture in strengthening the role of society in the sustainability of cultural heritage”, “Heritage readiness as a tool for steadfastness”, and “Social adaptation and flexibility,”as well as “the inclusion of cultural heritage in policies as a methodology for community cohesion, inclusiveness, and equality.”

The forum shed light on the ways in which society can preserve its cultural heritage in the face of the threats that beset it, and discussed the role of the culture of societies in the resilience and preservation of historical environments, in addition to how they adapt during and after crises.

The participants discussed the concept of urban culture in general, focusing on the societal dimension, and adaptation stemming from local contexts, traditional knowledge, and others as tools for the resilience and sustainability of cultural heritage and historical environments.

The forum will serve as a real platform to start interdisciplinary conversations on practices to increase the resilience and recovery of cultural heritage from war and climate change.

The forum witnessed many interventions, presentations, and discussion sessions, in which a wide group of experts, participants, and those interested in the affairs of cultural heritage in the Arab region and the world participated, including the Director General of the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, Nazeer Awad, the researcher Dr. Mamoun Abdul Karim, and the engineer Lina Qatifan Director of World Heritage Sites in Syria.

Among the initial recommendations of the participants, which were put forward to governments and member states, is the establishment of a strong local and national coordination mechanism for disaster resilience, the preparation of risk assessments based on comprehensive, participatory processes, and their use as a basis for planning and development of the historic built environment and long-term goals.

K.Q.