Stakeholders involved in the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage will attempt to create a roadmap that will allow them to grasp the importance of their role and the extent of their responsibilities throughout the chain of custody and enhancement of cultural heritage.
At the 2nd International Conference on the “Role and responsibility of Local and Subnational Governments for the Preservation and Promotion of the Cultural Heritage” scheduled to hold in Rabat, Morocco from Thursday, April 18 to Friday, April 19, 2019, some African cities will highlight their best practices in the protection and promotion of their cultural heritage.
Cultural heritage, according to the conference organisers, constitutes a fundamental lever of human life which participates not only in the promotion of peace, balance, continuity and harmony in human societies, but, when it is well protected and well valued, it is also lever for promoting sustained, shared and sustainable economic growth.
Some of the cities that will highlight their best practices in the protection and promotion of their cultural heritage include Lagos (Nigeria), Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso), Praia (Cabo Verde), Abobo (Côte d’Ivoire), Bamako (Mali), El Jadida, Azemmour and Marrakech (Morocco), Nouakchott (Mauritania) and La Goulette (Tunisia). The conference will also be marked by the presentation of the experiences of the Arab world, including Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Mauritania.
The event is commemorating the International Day of Monuments and Sites for World Cultural Heritage, for which the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), through its African Local Government Academy (ALGA), the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and the City of Rabat, in partnership and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the Ministry of National Spatial Planning, Town Planning, Housing and Urban Policy, ICOMOS-Morocco, UNESCO and the Italian Foundation Romualdo Del Bianco are organising the 2nd International Conference.
The organisation of the conference is supported by ISESCO’s proclamation that 2019 is the “Year of Heritage in the Islamic World.”
The opening of the conference will be officially made by representatives of ISESCO, the Ministry of Culture and Communication, UN-Women, ICOMOS-Morocco, the Communal Council of Rabat, and UCLG Africa.
Over 100 participants are expected at the meeting, including representatives of international organisations (UNESCO, ISESCO, ICOMOS), the ministerial departments responsible and/or involved in the governance and management of Cultural Heritage, Associations of Local and Subnational Governments in Africa and the Arab and Muslim World, as well as components of civil society and other participants.
