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UAE’s Salem Al Qassimi Stresses Culture’s Role in Sustainable Development

UAE Minister of Culture Shaikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi. WAM
UAE Minister of Culture Shaikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi. WAM
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UAE’s Salem Al Qassimi Stresses Culture’s Role in Sustainable Development

UAE Minister of Culture Shaikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi. WAM
UAE Minister of Culture Shaikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi. WAM

UAE Minister of Culture Shaikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi emphasized the UAE's commitment to integrating culture into sustainable development and climate action, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The Minister's remarks came during his participation at the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting in Salvador, Di Bahia, Brazil, WAM said Wednesday.

Addressing the meeting, Al Qassimi said that the UAE has been galvanizing global cooperation to mainstream culture as a key enabler of sustainable development. He also stressed the UAE's leading role in promoting a culture of climate action and as a lever for inclusive and equitable economic growth.

"Culture not only preserves heritage but also provides innovative solutions to complex global issues, including climate change. As we face an evolving climate, culture strengthens our resilience against these challenges,” he said.

The Minister highlighted the UAE and Brazil's joint efforts in creating the Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action (GFCBCA) and the support the group has received since its launch at COP28 last year.

"This coalition symbolizes our dedication to addressing climate challenges through a cultural lens, and we are grateful to the many partners who have joined this mission. We are especially proud that both the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience and the GFCBCA were included in the declaration, highlighting the importance of integrating cultural and resilient approaches to climate action on a global scale," he added.

The Minister also pointed out that measuring the contribution of the cultural and creative industries is of utmost importance as it is essential to tailor regulations and incentives that nurture the creative sector. "Data insights reveal emerging trends, consumer preferences, and areas for innovation."

"We are working with global partners to bolster mechanisms to collect data from the creative sector and leverage it to guide the future direction of CCI. Our dedication to nurturing creativity is not only about economic growth but about securing the legacy and identity of our communities for generations to come," WAM quoted him as saying.

A delegation from the Ministry of Culture actively participated in the fourth Culture Working Group (CWG) meeting. The UAE contributed to discussions on four priority areas: Protection and Restitution of Cultural Property, Harnessing Living Heritage for a Sustainable Future, Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries, and Leveraging Digital Technologies for Culture, all of which informed the G20 Culture Ministers' Declaration.

By focusing discussions on culture in the four topics above, the countries gathered in the G20 Culture Working Group will be able to deepen their understanding of the challenges and possibilities of culture in a constantly changing world. The panels were designed to provide countries with the means to improve their public policies and national actions.

The CWG discussions are expected to foster new degrees of understanding and partnerships between countries, advancing principles such as promoting peace, sustainable and inclusive development, dialogue, and common understanding for the benefit of all.

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Culture

Syria's Aleppo Set for Revival Despite War Scars to its Heritage

During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
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Syria's Aleppo Set for Revival Despite War Scars to its Heritage

During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP

The historic Baron Hotel in Syria's Aleppo is dilapidated and damaged by years of war but still standing and ready for a revival, much like the city itself.

Aleppo's old city, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, was ravaged by the conflict that erupted after a government crackdown on protests in 2011.

Between 2012 and 2016, it became a battleground between Syria's military and opposition factions.

The army of now-ousted president Bashar al-Assad shelled opposition fighters from the ground and struck them from the air, supported by Russian firepower.
Opposition groups, meanwhile, used mortars and artisanal rockets, as the fighting turned ancient streets into sniper alleys.

During the four years of fighting before the government recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied.

Now, after Assad's fall following a lightning opposition offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, residents are looking forward to reconstruction.

"Unfortunately, more than 60 percent of the edifices in the old city, monuments of the old city of Aleppo, were devastated to ground zero," said Georges Edleby, a tour guide in the city for 35 years.

"Hopefully there will be a day that we see them again restored."

The ancient souks where Aleppo's famed olive oil soap is piled up in stacks for sale has been reduced in many places to little more than rubble.

- 'Hope for a better life' -

Aleppo's medieval citadel, however, remains relatively intact.

Opposition fighters, one with a rose slipped into the barrel of his gun, stood guard outside the ancient ramparts, which Syria's army turned into a stronghold during the war.

Most of the damage in the citadel was caused by a 2023 earthquake, locals say.

Below in the old city, a few alleys of the souk -- once the largest in the world with 4,000 stalls -- have reopened after being restored, including with Saudi financial aid.

Jamal Habbal, 66, has spent all his life under the stone vaults of the old city and reopened his macrame and rope shop there a year ago.

"We have so many memories here. It was a big market that was vibrant and lively. Girls used to come to buy items for their trousseaus. They could find everything," he told AFP.

"And then suddenly, the crisis," he said, reluctant to even say the word war.

"We had to leave. I returned in 2018, but it's still difficult," he added, speaking in a dark and largely deserted alley.

Fadel Fadel has also reopened his shop offering souvenirs, soap and mother-of-pearl inlaid boxes.

"It was completely destroyed here," said the 51-year-old.

He is hoping to see Aleppo returned to its status as a "center of commerce, industry and tourism."

"We hope for a better life."

- Museum ready to reopen -

Outside, dusty streets wind between ruins that await reconstruction and revival.

The Baron Hotel once welcomed Agatha Christie, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and France's Charles de Gaulle.

Visitors flocked to see the somewhat faded glory of its rooms, as well as its terrace and the unpaid bar bill belonging to one Lawrence of Arabia.

But now, several broken windows adorned with shutters hanging from a single hinge offer a view into a deserted building covered in dust.

The hotel's future is uncertain.

Its last owner, Armen Mazloumian, has passed away. He told AFP back in 2014 that he felt the hotel's glory days were behind it and it would "never be what it once was again".

Nearby, however, the National Museum of Aleppo is readying to reopen. Its courtyard was hit in shelling but its building and collection were spared.

Director Ahmed Othman said the museum "took lessons from the experience of our neighbours," including institutions in Iraq and Lebanon.

"We took the necessary measures to protect our collections," he said.

"The statues that were too heavy to move were encased in concrete and the smaller pieces were moved to safe places."

Treasures that trace nine millennia of history and the birth of writing in nearby Mesopotamia have been preserved unharmed as a result.

"We did many things in order to protect the museum as a whole," said Othman