Sharjah 24: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the programme of the General Assembly meeting of the International Organisation for Folk Art (IOV) was launched, Thursday, at Centre for International Cultural Heritage Organisations theatre at the headquarters of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage.
The three–day event, organised from 9 to11 March, sees the participation of delegations from 43 countries.
The opening ceremony and the opening session of the meeting were attended by Ali Abdullah Khalifa, President of the International Organisation for Folk Art; Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Director of the Regional Headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa; Fabrizio Cattaneo, Secretary-General of IOV, its regional directors, and Saqr Mohammed, Director of the Center for Organisations International Cultural Heritage and a number of senior leaders and officials of the organisation.
After watching a performance by the Romanian band, Ali Abdullah Khalifa delivered a speech in which he praised the efforts of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, as the manifest supporter of all aspects of culture and the first sponsor of the International Organisation for Folklore, and embracing its regional office for the Middle East and North Africa.
Several issues were addressed at the meeting including the exceptional circumstances the world is facing in terms of recovering from the pandemic, the implementation of the organisation's comprehensive plan (it's time for change), which was approved by the assembly meeting in 2016 in Italy and translated into eight languages, efforts of the organisation in various countries, the general budget, and the opening of the first integrated special headquarters for the organisation in Bahrain, and the establishment of a special office in Bahrain to support the work of the organisation’s financial secretary in communicating with the organisation’s branches around the world, and to follow up on the payment of membership fees.
The support and assistance provided by the Government of Sharjah, through cooperation and harmony of efforts with the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, which opened new horizons for the organisation that were not within its initially approved plan of action, were also highly appreciated.
Dr. Abdul Aziz AlMusallam delivered a speech in which he focused on the status of the Emirate of Sharjah as a global destination for culture and an incubator of the world human heritage, which is a deserved culmination of the cultural choice adopted by the Emirate, through the pioneering and comprehensive cultural project of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah.
The audience watched a short film that monitors the achievements of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage, the Center for International Organisations for Cultural Heritage and the organisation's branch for the Middle East and North Africa, before watching an entertaining artistic performance by the Greek and Croatian troupes.
Several interventions related to the topics of the meeting were made by the attendees.
For an optimal experience, please
