Thursday, June 02, 2011

Bahrain: Despite Unrest, Bahrain to Chair UNESCO's 35th World Heritage Committee Meeting

SOURCE TwentyFourSevenNews.com

Bahraini Cultural Minister Sheikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa was in France last week in preparation for UNESCO's 35th World Heritage Committee meeting, scheduled for June 19 to 29 in Paris under Bahrain's leadership, reports TwentyFourSevenNews.com. Bahrain's continuing role and presence at such events is important as next year Manama will host UNESCO's Arab Culture Capital event.

Originally planned to take place in Bahrain, Sheikha Mai and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova moved the meeting to Paris in light of the State of National Safety in Bahrain. In addition to finalizing meeting logistics and schedules, Sheikha Mai and Bokova also discussed ways to further develop cultural ties between Bahrain and UNESCO.

While in town, Sheikha Mai met with a number of influential cultural figures such as Dominique Baudis, President of the Arab World Institute, Frederic Mitterrand, French Culture Minister, and other Arab cultural representatives in Paris, who each paid tribute to Bahrain's leadership in promoting regional culture and in chairing the 35th World Heritage Committee meeting.