03 March 2022
H.E Shaikha Mai Participates in the Meeting of Board of the Trustees of the World Monuments Fund, New York
H.E Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, participated, on 2 March 2022, in the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the International Monuments Fund (as an active member), in New York City, USA. The meeting was held in the presence of Bénédicte de Montlaur, the President and Chief Executive Officer of World Monuments Fund (WMF), the world’s foremost private organization dedicated to saving extraordinary places while empowering the communities around them.
Speaking for the occasion, H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa said: "We are happy that the Kingdom of Bahrain has made a mark in the international efforts to preserve historical and cultural sites around the world." H.E added saying that that the continuous work and cooperation with the International Monuments Fund contributes to strengthening conservation and conservation projects for archaeological sites of importance in Arab countries face many challenges.
The meeting discussions shed lights on many issues related to cultural heritage and historical sites and ways to preserve and safeguard them and enhance their position at the local and global levels.
In addition, On the sidelines of its board of trustees meeting, the International Monuments Fund announced its list for the year 2022 which it calls "World Monuments Watch", the Watch,” is a two-year program that seeks to discover, spotlight, and take action on behalf of heritage places facing challenges or presenting outstanding opportunities of direct relevance to our global society. Every two-year cycle of the Watch includes 25 heritage places from around the world, selected for their cultural significance, the cause for action in light of internationally pressing issues, and the potential for World Monuments Fund to make a meaningful difference.
The List of sites of World Monuments Fund's 2022 include 24 countries and are spread over 6 continents, and were selected from more than 225 sites from around the world. It is also interesting that these sites reflect a human history that extends over a period approximately 12,000 years. Sites from six Arab countries are on the list: the Temple of Abydos in Sohag in the Arab Republic of Egypt, the historic city of Beirut in Lebanon, the historic city center of Bani Ghazi in Libya, the royal pyramids of the Kingdom of Kush in Nuri in Sudan and the Socotra archipelago in Yemen.
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. The World Monuments Watch list program sheds light on many global issues and challenges affecting cultural sites: climate change, unbalanced tourism, inadequate representation of these sites in government and private programs, crises, natural disasters, in addition, to armed conflicts. The international community, public and private institutions, to further support and preserve the cultural sites and communities that surround them. It is worth noting that the International Monuments Fund announced in the middle of last year the election of H.E Shaikha Mai to the membership of its Board of Trustees, making her the first Arab figure to take up this position. The World Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grant making, education, and training. Founded in 1965, WMF is headquartered in New York, and has offices and affiliates around the world. Since that time, the Fund mission has been working to protect antiquities around the world from disappearance, including Tangible and Intangible Heritage, by spreading awareness, training, education and fieldwork around the world.
