King Mohammed VI has hailed the quality of the partnership existing between UNESCO and Morocco, describing as excellent the collaboration between the UN Organization and the Kingdom for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage and the preservation of culture and traditions that are transmitted from generation to generation.
The Sovereign made the remarks as he was greeted this Monday afternoon by UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the new bus station in Rabat.
The King expressed special thanks to the Director General of UNESCO for all her efforts to safeguard and protect the cultural heritage of Nations, which is sometimes despoiled by other countries or assimilated by other cultures.
Proud of her Moroccan origins, Ms. Audrey Azoulay commended the Sovereign for his commitment to the protection and promotion of Morocco’s intangible heritage.
Recalling that Morocco had ratified all UNESCO conventions concerning Heritage, Ms. Audrey Azoulay welcomed the centrality and strategic nature of the relations between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Kingdom of Morocco.
Mrs Azoulay is visiting Rabat to take part in the 17th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held under the chairmanship of Morocco nov.28 through Dec.3.
In her opening remarks at the session Monday morning, Mrs. Azoulay had hailed the commitment of King Mohammed VI to the preservation of cultural heritage.
“The preservation of the liveliness of heritage owes much to the commitment of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” said Mrs. Azoulay, who expressed her “most sincere” thanks to the Sovereign for “his commitment to culture, for the entire scope of UNESCO’s mandate, and more generally, for multilateral action in the service of peace.”
The 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO was marked by the message addressed by King Mohammed VI to the participants.
In the message, which was read out by Secretary General of the Government, Mohamed Al Hajoui, the King stressed the importance of preserving and enhancing the intangible heritage so that it may continue to be a frame of reference for future generations, while supporting the efforts made to advance scientific research and encourage the scientists and scholars engaged in protecting the accomplishments made in this regard.
To achieve this goal, King Mohammed VI called for the promotion of international multilateral cooperation concerning the preservation of the intangible cultural heritage and the exchange of experiences and ideas for its protection.
“We need also to identify the most effective ways to raise young people’s awareness about the importance of the intangible heritage” as a rich, multi-faceted human legacy deeply anchored in history, said the Monarch, insisting on the need to digitize the rich cultural heritage of mankind, including the intangible heritage.
“In order to make sure our children develop an interest in the cultural heritage bequeathed by our ancestors, we must keep pace with digital transformations, and come up with precious digital content that sheds light on our cultural heritage, along with paper-based material, since both are important in this regard”, underlined the Moroccan Sovereign.
King Mohammed VI also announced the setting up of a national center for the intangible cultural heritage to enable the North African kingdom to build on the gains achieved in this field.
The new center will continue to carry out systematic inventory operations of national heritage sites and elements in various regions of the Kingdom. It will also be tasked with developing a national database in this regard, holding scientific and academic training sessions to enhance the skills of conservation practitioners, and making sure young people are aware of the importance of the cultural heritage, said the Moroccan Sovereign.
The center will ensure follow-up to the effectiveness of the mechanisms adopted to preserve Moroccan heritage sites that feature on the World Heritage List, and prepare Morocco’s nomination proposals, explained the King.