Workshop on the final revision of the draft “Palestinian Cultural Heritage Law”
Opening of the workshop by H.E. Minister Rula Ma’ay’a, (MoTA), and Mr. Junaid Sorosh-Wali, UNESCO Ramallah office, 7 June 2015, ©UNESCO
7-8 June 2015 –The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and UNESCO, with the generous contribution from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), organized a specialized workshop on the revision of the draft Palestinian Cultural Heritage Law. More than 40 experts, from both the West Bank and Gaza, from relevant Ministries, cultural heritage civil society organizations and universities, attended this technical workshop and expressed their concern about the urgent need for a new legal framework for the protection, management and conservation of cultural heritage.
At the workshop, facilitated by UNESCO experts and consultants, participants discussed and agreed on important topics of a draft law which would be aligned with international standards for the conservation and management of cultural heritage and with international conventions in the field of cultural heritage ratified by Palestine.
“The Ministry inherited a number of legislations and bylaws related to Archaeology and Cultural heritage. These legislations left an important part of the urban heritage without legal protection tools”, said H.E Rula Ma’ay’a, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, in her opening speech. “The ministry in cooperation with all relevant parties, and especially with UNESCO, worked together to propose a new draft law that takes into consideration the contemporary development in the legal and cultural heritage domains”, the Minister added.
The Minister also underlined that “at the end of this workshop, the ministry will study the recommendations of this workshop and to submit the draft law after its final drafting for the relevant responsible bodies for its endorsement.”
“To be able to better protect and more effectively manage its own heritage, Palestine needs also a stronger legislation, aligned with the international standards and international conventions in the field of culture that have been ratified by Palestine – said Dr Lodovico Folin Calabi, Head of the UNESCO Ramallah Office a.i. – We will continue to support the national Palestinian authorities in their efforts to provide Palestine with a robust and effective legal framework for the conservation and management of its cultural heritage. Any effort to protect and promote culture is the best investment for the future!”
At the end of this two days’ workshop, the participants expressed their commitment to the legislative process and their trust that the outcomes of this workshop will significantly contribute to the adoption of an effective national Palestinian legislation, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in close cooperation with UNESCO.
For more information on this event, please contact: Majd Beltaji, Public Information Officer of the UNESCO Ramallah Office, at m.beltaji@unesco.org
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