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H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities participated in the second ALIPH donors’ conference, which was held at the Louvre Museum in Paris, on 31 January 2022. The meeting was video conferenced by

By the French President Emmanuel Macron, and attended by Mrs. Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, French Minister of Culture, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and gathered delegates from some thirty countries, including a dozen European states, international organizations (UNESCO, ICOM, ICOMOS, etc. ).

H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa stressed, during this conference, the importance of international cooperation and collaboration between all parties concerned with the Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage for the development of societies and communities and enhance sustainable development. H.E expressed thanks and appreciation to ALIPH foundation for the invitation bestowed upon her to attend this major event, lauding its marvelous efforts deployed for quick response to face the challenges and dangers threating the safeguard of the unique rich cultural heritage sites in Arab countries.

H.E rejoined: “There is no doubt that Bahrain, through hosting the Arab Regional Center for World Heritage (ARC_WH) supports all efforts aimed to safeguard and preserve World Heritage Sites, including cultural and natural heritage, and the World Heritages List in Danger. This is done through advisory bodies, material, technical and logistic support, monitoring and preserving World Heritage Sites by preparing reports on the state of conservation and other monitoring mechanisms, as well as cooperation with all international parties concerned with heritage preservation, including ALIPH foundation”, H.E added.

In addition, H.E has pointed out that the ARC_WH, since its inception, been keen to implement one of its fundamental strategies, namely launching projects aimed to preserve cultural heritage sites in danger, especially in those countries suffering from cyclic conflicts that have also affected its unique cultural heritage. H.E added saying that the world has witnessed a sharp increase in terrorist attacks on, and destruction of, the cultural heritage of countries affected by armed conflict, as well as organized looting, illicit trafficking and sale of cultural objects on an unprecedented scale. Moreover, The ARC_WH has received a great positive response from all Arab governmental and private institutions in order to enhance the importance and central role played by heritage, its preservation and the need to nominate files for registry at UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, H.E concluded.

During the conference, the ARC-WH director shed light on a pioneering common action plan between ARC_WH and ALIPH foundation in order to strengthen relations and work towards a common goal of safeguarding the outstanding cultural heritage of Yemenite Old City of Shibam, registered on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger due to poor upkeep and conservation.

The second ALIPH donors’ conference, at the initiative and under auspices of the French Republic, taking over the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), is a good opportunity for all countries around the world to support the International alliance for the protection of cultural heritage, especially in conflict areas, shedding light on its role on sustainable development and achieve peace and reconciliation.

Indeed, This Second Donors Conference coincides with five years after the establishment of the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH), created in March 2017 in Geneva at the initiative of France and the United Arab Emirates in response to the massive destruction of cultural heritage in recent years in the Sahel region or in the Middle East. In five years, ALIPH has become a central player in this area and its agility and responsiveness has supported since 2018 nearly 150 cultural heritage protection projects in some 30 countries, on four continents, aimed to support those who, every day and often at the risk of their own lives, protect and rehabilitate this common memory that constitutes humanity’s cultural heritage treasures. ALIPH Foundation has also manifested an amazing flexibility and responsiveness COVID-19 Action Plan, as well as outstanding support to Lebanon after the catastrophic explosion in the port of Beirut.