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The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched, on Tuesday in Rabat, a training workshop on “Combating Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties: Documentation and Preservation”, with the participation of experts from several countries of the Islamic world.
The workshop, organized until December 15 in collaboration with Qatar National Library and the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, is held as part of the “Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture.” It aims at ramping up efforts to safeguard and promote cultural properties.
The objectives of this encounter are also to provide participants with theoretical and practical knowledge in the field of cultural property documentation, to train them in the use of digital software specialized in documentation, to promote cooperation between institutions concerned with the preservation of cultural heritage, and to encourage the exchange of experience among participants.
Speaking on the occasion, ICESCO Director General Salim M. AlMalik stressed the importance of protecting cultural property as a human right, and not just as a legal issue. He sounded the alarm about the scale of the market for illicit trafficking in cultural property, particularly in the Islamic world, due to the cases of destruction and looting that have occurred in certain regions in recent years.
He also highlighted documentation as a means of addressing this intercontinental crime, outlining ICESCO’s efforts to strengthen the national capacities of member states and encourage international cooperation in the preservation and protection of cultural property against all forms of looting and illicit exploitation.
AlMalik also stressed the need to build bridges between cultural heritage and intellectual achievements, as well as modern technologies that enable the construction of intelligent surveillance systems, thus enhancing the effectiveness of international coordination to combat illicit trafficking.
For her part, Executive Director of Qatar National Library Tan Huism, stated that the challenge of combating this scourge cannot be met by countries on individual level, but by concerting joint efforts globally.
She stressed that preserving this heritage requires strengthening the legal framework and documentation, identifying sources of cultural properties and collection mechanisms, as well as constructive cooperation with law enforcement authorities, customs and other relevant institutions.
For her part, the acting Director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, Samira El Malizi, noted that Morocco, under the Wise Leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has amassed long experience in the preservation of national heritage. These include the enactment of legislation and the creation of institutions dedicated to it, as well as the adherence to international efforts linked to the preservation and protection of cultural heritage against all threats.
El Malizi underscored the efforts of the Kingdom’s National Library in collecting, processing and preserving the national documentary heritage, as well as foreign documentary heritage representing the various forms of human knowledge, pointing out that this institution has made use of modern technologies and digitization to provide further conditions for preservation and conservation.
The workshop will cover a number of topics, including digital documentation techniques, the documentation of different types of cultural property, and the development of national programs for the protection of cultural property.
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