The two countries will also work together to support youth and talented individuals in the cultural fields…reports Asian Lite News
The UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to reinforce cooperation in cultural fields related to tangible and intangible cultural heritage, literature, visual and performing arts, audio-visual media, design, cultural and creative industries.
The two countries will also work together to support youth and talented individuals in the cultural fields.
The MoU underlines the importance of cultural dialogue and exchanges in strengthening the ties between the UAE and the UK, while also expanding on knowledge of each other’s civilisation, culture and arts.
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The MoU was signed by Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; and Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society of United Kingdom. The two ministers highlighted the importance of culture and its role in establishing social cohesion, promoting dialogue between communities and peoples, and building stronger human to human relations.
They explored means of fostering partnerships to advance the cultural and creative sector and keep pace with the current developments and tackle challenges. They also agreed on exchanging experiences in the field to make the cultural and creative industries a significant contributor to the national GDP. This would also lead to new opportunities for creative talents to work in the sector, which is currently one of the fastest growing sectors globally.
The ministers said that the UAE and Britain have very deep ties that stem from shared social and cultural values. The new agreement is built on a commitment to promoting the values of tolerance and coexistence, reflected in the creative cultural movements in the two countries.
The MoU aims to foster cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection and the study of culture, languages, literature, arts and heritage in the two countries. It will also promote translation of published materials in both English and Arabic to give a boost to the publishing sector.
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The two countries also seek to ensure the protection of intellectual property rights in accordance with national legislation and international conventions; to host mutual cultural events and facilitate opportunities for public participation in cultural events; and prop up the cultural and creative industries affected by the pandemic.
The MoU enables the exchange of experiences to facilitate the implementation of international agreements, such as those signed with UNESCO and other agreements related to the cultural sector. It also calls on professionals, scholars, experts and researchers in the field of culture to draw on each others’ experiences in implementing international agreements, and benefit from international conventions.