15 June. The Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) hosted the third ATHAR workshop entitled 'ATHARnet: Education and Practice' concluded at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum.  

This three-day workshop aimed to enhance the relationship between conservation curricula and practice in the Arab region, and arrive at a clear definition and recognition of the needs for training in conservation there.

The workshop addressed one of the core areas of the ATHAR Programme related to professional development in heritage conservation and management. Specifically, the aim was to resolve issues related to the recognition of qualifications and the characteristics of the professional profiles required for responding to regional needs. It also hoped to consolidate the work of professional institutions and practitioners in the Arab region.

Over the three days, the participants reviewed the various definitions of conservation professions (as per international documents and approaches), re-examined key specialized areas in the various fields of conservation in the Arab context, re-defined the scope of existing training programmes in the region, mapped focal areas of participating institutions, and developed an action plan for participants to pursue, which includes:

• Establishing an effective regional professional association, to be supported by a network of university heritage conservation and management programmes. This will help address professional requirements and profiles that fully consider practical and educational needs in the conservation and heritage field there. Once established, the association will encourage the creation of national professional regulatory bodies for conservators and related specialists.
• Resolving issues related to recognizing qualifications and defining professional profiles that respond to regional needs.
• Conducting a follow-up workshop in November which will formally establish the regional body of professional conservators and specialists, improve dialogue between heritage education and conservation practices, and ensure the application of contemporary and sustainable methods for the advancement of protection and management of cultural properties in the Arab States.
• Consolidating the efforts of the network and expanding it to ensure the participation of all educational and training institutions, with the help of the Association of Arab Universities and through conferences planned by member institutions.
• Developing pilot projects and initiatives that will enhance collaboration between institutional members, and the integration of heritage conservation in relevant university curricula at an undergraduate level.
• Presenting the results of the work of the ATHAR network to official bodies in the region (e.g. Ministries of Culture and Higher Education) at their relevant meetings within the framework of the Arab League.

The Arab region must not only provide continuous training and education in all fields of conservation, but must also seek to enhance the work of professional institutions and frameworks to foster talent that can contribute to overall development. This workshop underlined how collaborative efforts between professionals in cultural heritage conservation can bring forth recommendations that will make a positive impact through the ATHAR network.

This workshop took place under the patronage of H.H. Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. It was implemented by ICCROM as part the ATHAR Programme, in partnership with the Government of Sharjah, H.H. the Ruler’s Office, Sharjah Department of Information and Culture, American University of Sharjah, the University of Sharjah, and Sharjah Museums Department.

Participants came from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Additional representatives came from UNESCO, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and the European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations (ECCO).
Member States represented: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The three-day workshop followed two previous workshops in June 2008 and November 2009, which addressed strategic issues and orientations for the improvement of higher education in the field of cultural heritage education.

Member States represented: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen

updated on: 22 June, 2010