In line with its strategic directions in focusing on worldwide concerns for cultural heritage, ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) is devising, through its Regional Office in Sharjah, a new initiative titled “MEDINA” which addresses the protection of historic cities and aims at supporting the enhancement of urban heritage management in the Arab region and valorising the role of cultural heritage in sustainable development.
Five webinars are scheduled to take place every Monday at 16:00 GST (Sharjah time) between 8th June and 6th July 2020. The webinars will address five main themes to help identify the needs and priorities of this initiative and formulate an effective action plan. The themes are respectively: Urban Transformation of Historic Cities and Post-conflict Recovery Plans; Institutional Capacity in Managing Urban Heritage; Traditional Knowledge and the Economics of Historic Cities; Managing Urban Heritage in its Natural Environment and Climate Change; and General Framework of the MEDINA Programme, an Integration of Initiatives.
The webinar themes were developed to invoke brainstorming and discussion on the MEDINA initiative’s broad aims that include: addressing challenges that historic cities in the Arab region are facing through capacity building of local institutions and communities; documenting traditional knowledge and geo-referencing such knowledge using GIS to provide partners with needed tools to further research in relevant fields; and building partnerships with local stakeholders whose mandates are in line with the project goals. MEDINA also aims at encouraging urban artistic initiatives to support the creativity and wellbeing of local communities.
ICCROM-Sharjah is encouraging practitioners and interested professionals to attend the webinars as observers. Each webinar will be two hours long. In the first hour, 3 to 4 speakers will give short presentations on the issues and challenges facing urban heritage conservation related to the selected theme. After a short recess, the second hour will be dedicated to group discussions on the same theme. Working languages throughout the webinars are Arabic and English, and the organizers are providing simultaneous interpretation.
To register for all webinars please follow this link: https://forms.gle/UXgkN6SNjPBeE8sG8
