ICESCO Director-General calls for increased efforts to safeguard and document world heritage sites in Arab countries

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage (ARC-WH) concluded the Regional Workshop to Support the Removal of Cultural Properties in the Arab Region from the List of World Heritage in Danger, held at ICESCO headquarters in Rabat, on 17-21 February 2025.

The workshop sought to build participants’ capacities in preparing “Desired State of Conservation” reports, a key step in removing sites from the List of Heritage in Danger, as well as providing specialized training on reviewing the approved indicators and developing a roadmap to complete the corrective measures required to protect these sites and ensure their sustainability.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, underlined that the workshop offers a strategic platform to exchange experiences and strengthen joint efforts to safeguard Arab heritage sites, stressing the need to exert more work to improve protection and documentation measures to ensure the removal of Arab World Heritage sites from the List.

Dr. AlMalik added that this initiative seeks to develop effective solutions and provide practical plans to preserve Arab cultural heritage, and steer joint efforts towards the development of effective strategies based on modern and advanced methodological plans.

Speaking next, Sheikh Ibrahim Al Khalifa, ARC-WH Deputy Director, commended ICESCO’s work on promoting the protection of Arab heritage, pointing out the need for sustained cooperation to preserve these sites and ensure their protection for future generations.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Zinelabidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture Sector, stressed the importance of the partnership between the Organization and institutions such as the ARC-WH in Bahrain, the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, the World Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALEF), considering that it offers as a successful model of regional and international cooperation in the field of heritage protection.

The workshop saw the participation of 28 heritage experts from eight Arab countries, with 20 attending in person, and eight others participating via videoconferencing.