The Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy (MBMA) for Diplomatic Studies virtually launched today a programme “UNESCO Cultural Conventions: Mechanisms and Procedures” which will continue until tomorrow, within the framework of joint bilateral cooperation and coordination between the Academy and the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage, under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The first day of the programme was launched by Dr. Mounir Bouchenaki, a World Heritage Affairs’ Consultant at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, on behalf of BACA President, Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, and by the Executive Director of Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies, Dr. Shaikha Muneera Khalifa Hamad Al Khalifa and with the participation of 40 employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kingdom’s missions abroad.
The programme included a number of themes raised by a group of UNESCO speakers and experts, most notably presenting the main concepts and mechanisms used in the framework of relevant UNESCO conventions, such as the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), and the Convention on the Protection the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001), the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970), as well as UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and its protocols. The programme also covered other topics and themes, including an overview of each agreement with its cultural background and procedures, as well as the responsibilities and obligations of state parties that must be taken into account when ratifying these international treaties.
The programme aims to educate diplomats in the Kingdom of Bahrain about the basic concepts of the UNESCO regarding the conventions and mechanisms used and to work on preparing the future cultural attaché and representatives of the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs for future elections to UNESCO’s presidential committees and councils related to culture.
