(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Doha, Qatar: The Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World, with its General Secretariat at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), held its 18th meeting in Doha under the chairmanship of the State of Qatar.
The meeting discussed the agenda, draft decisions and documents that would be submitted to the 12th conference of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, convened by ICESCO and hosted by Qatar on September 25-26, represented by the Ministry of Culture.
The meeting approved the establishment of the council's new office in its upcoming session throughout 2024-2025 after Qatar has taken over the presidency from Tunisia, which will assume the position of rapporteur of the council, while Uzbekistan and Uganda became vice-presidents, for the Asian and African regions. It also approved the membership of three countries for the group of Asian countries, three countries for the Arab group, and three countries for the African countries, in addition to the permanent members in their capacity.
In his remarks following Qatar's assumption of the council's presidency, Assistant Undersecretary for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture Dr. Ghanem bin Mubarak Al Ali affirmed the affirmative reaction between and ICESCO, stemming from the belief in ICESCO's role in operationalizing the joint cultural work in the Islamic world.
Dr. Al Ali called on the member states to work together for this meeting and the 12th conference of the ministers of culture in the Islamic world to be an actual launch of joint cultural action, emphasizing that culture is a powerful national guarantee and a strategic option for peoples to achieve sustainable development.
Director of the Culture and Communication Sector at ICESCO, Dr. Muhammad Zain Al Abidin, discussed ICESCO's efforts in supporting cultural action in light of its strategic vision and orientations through its programmes and innovative projects in its member states, including the ICESCO International Think Tank for Thought, Letters and Arts, under the theme“Culture for Rethinking the World”, as well as ISESCO International Chairs of Thought, Literature and the Arts.
The council's inaugural session was followed by work sessions, which featured the discussion of a myriad of executive reports and documents that are due to be presented during the 12th session of the conference of the ministers of culture in the Islamic world.
This includes the report of ISESCO's accomplishments in cultural areas, a report of the Islamic World Heritage Committee, a document of the guidelines of cultural policies, and sustainable development indicators in an evolving world. The Director of the Department of Culture and Arts at the Ministry of Culture, Maryam Yassin Al Hammadi, presented a report on the success of the activities of the celebration of Doha as the capital of culture in the Islamic world.