17 December. A three-day workshop on Networking of Conservation Professional Institutions in the Arab Region took place at the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. This event was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah, and in the framework of a recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Emirate of Sharjah and ICCROM to implement activities of ATHAR Programme.

The establishment of a consortium of institutions dealing with professional education in heritage preservation in the Arab region was analyzed and discussed. The network, led by ATHAR Programme and educational institutions in Sharjah, in partnership with international and regional organizations (ICCROM, UNESCO, ALECSO) would have the following objectives:

• create and develop an effective network of conservation professionals in the Arab region;
• assess means to disseminate and share information and expertise/ resources;
• develop programmes that combine training with practice;
• establish and target influential audiences and decision-makers aimed at sustaining efforts in this field.

The participants devised a short-term action plan addressing the following issues:

• integration of the diverse university programmes into the educational institutions curricula in the region, to be achieved through exchange programmes and joint research projects. This would entail including collaboration among universities in the region for post-graduate studies by means of co-supervision and shared research projects;
• setting-up an information platform for professional education programmes in the field of heritage conservation through web pages and an e-forum led by ICCROM’s ATHAR Programme staff and its partners in Sharjah (who will act as secretariat of the initiative), in coordination with ALECSO;
• adopting strategic directions which affirm the involvement of qualified Arab professionals in training programmes in the field of heritage conservation currently led by ATHAR Programme.

Twenty five heritage professionals attended the workshop, including representatives from ten Arab countries, international and regional organizations (UNESCO, ALECSO, and the Agha Khan Trust for Culture), higher education governmental institutions, the Government of Sharjah, and ICCROM).

Member States represented: Algeria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia

updated on: 27 January, 2010