By Sanaullah Ataullah

DOHA: Qatar has joined an international campaign — Unite4Heritage — launched by Unesco in March last year to start a global movement “to protect and safeguard heritage in areas threatened by extremists”.

The announcement was made yesterday at an event organised by the Ministry of Culture and Sports at Barzan Towers a national heritage site in Umm Salal Muhammad.

The event was attended by H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari Cultural Advisor to the Emiri Diwan and Qatar’s candidate for the post of the Director-General of Unesco; Francesco Bandarin Assistant Director General for Culture at Unesco diplomats and senior officials of the Ministry.

An awareness programme will be held under the campaign in collaboration with local partners including Qatar Museums University College London Qatar Tourism Authority Katara Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum Northwestern University Musheireb Development and Doha Architecture Forum. There will be workshops to raise awareness on cultural and heritage sites. Cultural trips for school students and lectures on heritage protection for families and individuals at weekends will also be held.

Addressing the function Dr Hamad Al Kawari said “This event held in Doha is a direct response to the strategy adopted by Unesco member states. It reflects the keen desire of Qatar’s leadership and illustrious citizenry to support the global effort to preserve human heritage. Furthermore the Unesco is continuously working on implementing and broadening its “Unite4Heritage” initiative which has recently led to the signing of a historical agreement with the Italian government for the formation of a qualified field team consisting of experts in cultural heritage and Italian police officers specialised in combating illicit trafficking of stolen cultural artefacts.”

“This event is being organised in order to reinforce the global path towards the preservation of historical and cultural heritage and the recognition of its role in supporting cultural identity as well as promoting enhanced social peace and global security” he added.

He said that extremist groups have adopted a “holy ignorance” approach to invade and destroy magnificent archeological sites. “Bulldozers swept away the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrod terrorists destroyed rare statues and sculptures in the city of Mosul and the two-thousand-year-old Temple of “Bel” in the city of Palmyra which was inscribed on the Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites.

“They also attacked Timbuktu the Pearl of the Desert demolishing shrines sanctuaries tombs and even age old mosques. Their onslaught has also reached Libya where they destroyed paintings and pictures in the Acacus region in the south of the country works of art dating back to 10000 years. These crimes are a sign of cultural terrorism that is taking place throughout the Arab region” said Al Kawari.

In light of these serious developments he said the Unesco has initiated a constructive global awareness campaign aiming at protecting the world’s diverse cultural heritage.

“This campaign aptly titled “Unite for Heritage” brings us together today with the clear purpose of responding to the awakening global consciousness that believes in humanity’s common values and the necessity to protect the symbolic wealth of mankind as a whole.

Qatar has been thoroughly engaged in this campaign as its leadership and people believe that the protection of our intertwined cultural heritage is truly a global concern” said Al Kawari.

“Our opening ceremony today falls within this newly envisioned international campaign which is launched from Barzan Tower a historic landmark witnessing the noble decent of Qatar’s population and the creativity of our ancestral lineage and one of our country’s numerous historical sites that embodies our culture and highlights the necessary constant maintenance and contracting works that are ongoing” he added.

“When our young citizens fully discover and appreciate the depth of our history and the importance of our indigenous archeological sites they have the realization of bearing the responsibility of preserving them as they become more conscious responsible and enthusiastic about the future without breaking away from the richness and traditions of the past” he added.

Bandarin lauded Al Kawari and Qatar for playing a key role to protect and promote the culture and heritage especially in the Arab region.

“I would like to stress that Qatar has been great partner to Unesco in supporting and promoting heritage worldwide. The campaign was launched to put an end unprecedented attack on heritage sites by extremists” said Bandarin.

He said in past years Unesco organised several activities and national campaigns under the campaign at several places in Iraq Syria Mali Lebanon Egypt and Jordan.

Many people participated through their support on social media and by organising unite4heritage events and donating to heritage emergency fund he added.

The Peninsula