The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held at its headquarters, Today, Monday 9 December 2024, the international workshop titled “Supporting the Removal of Historical Sites in Africa from the List of World Heritage in Danger.”

The Workshop, organized in collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, aims to conduct a comprehensive assessment of natural and cultural sites listed as World Heritage in Danger in Africa and discuss strategies for their removal from the List. The Event benefits heritage site directors and experts from 12 African countries.

The opening session, marking the start of this five-day workshop, began with a presentation by Dr. Webber Ndoro, Director of ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Centre. He highlighted the challenges and opportunities facing African countries in preserving the sites on the World Heritage in Danger list.

This was followed by a recorded address from Dr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, who commended ICESCO’s efforts to protect the heritage of the Islamic world and encouraged participants to leverage the workshop to enhance the protection of African heritage.

Dr. Albino Jopela, Executive Director of the African World Heritage Fund, shared several successful experiences in delisting sites from the danger list and expressed the Fund’s commitment to supporting innovative programs and projects in this area.

In his remarks, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of ICESCO, emphasized that the Organization has, for years, assisted its Member States in protecting, preserving, and promoting cultural heritage as a crucial tool for strengthening social cohesion and peace. He mentioned an ICESCO study revealing that 59% of heritage sites globally listed as endangered are located in the Islamic world, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue and the significance of this workshop.

Dr. AlMalik further explained that through the Islamic World Heritage Centre, ICESCO works to promote heritage and improve the effective management of heritage sites. The Organization has inscribed 724 heritage sites and cultural elements on its lists of Islamic world heritage. He also announced plans to hold several regional workshops and international conferences on managing heritage in contexts of insecurity, calling on all relevant organizations and international institutions to intensify efforts to protect heritage.

Following the speeches, Dr. AlMalik and Dr. Jopela signed a Memorandum of Understanding between ICESCO and the African World Heritage Fund. The agreement aims to foster collaboration in registering historical sites on heritage lists, building capacities for effective heritage asset management through joint training programs, workshops, and seminars, and reducing the number of sites listed as endangered by facilitating knowledge exchange in technologies and innovations related to heritage preservation.

The first scientific session of the workshop then commenced, featuring a presentation on the main African sites included in the List of World Heritage in Danger, along with the Workshop’s objectives and methodology.