The fourteenth meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, which was held in the Colombian capital of Bogota from December 9 to 14 this year, approved the registration of the palm file in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, within the framework of the UAE’s keenness to preserve the country’s heritage and promote it Through UNESCO the first sponsor of culture and common human heritage.

The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, under the auspices of the Organization of Education, Culture and Science (ALESCO) of the League of Arab States, has submitted a file to nominate the palm tree to register in UNESCO as a joint Arab file on behalf of 14 Arab countries, to be submitted by the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic Iraqiya, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuwait, Mauritania, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Palestine, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Sudan, the Republic of Tunisia, and the Republic of Yemen.

The registration of the palm tree in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO is a qualitative addition to the efforts made by the UAE to safeguard its heritage and promote it globally in cooperation with UNESCO, where the UAE has succeeded in the past years in registering eight elements of its national heritage in the list, has led registration Many files jointly with other countries, which contributed to the concerted international efforts to protect and preserve the heritage.

The Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi expressed her thanks to all the Arab countries that worked with the UAE on the joint file for registering the palm tree on the representative list of intangible cultural heritage in UNESCO, which reflects the Arab cultural unity and encourages joint Arab action to register more cultural elements of The universal value in our life and history for its preservation for future generations.

"People in the Arab region have long historical ties with the palm tree, which forms an integral part of our traditions and our heritage spanning thousands of years. Our fathers relied on this tree to earn their livelihood and secure their strength, and today we are proud of its transformation into a global human symbol of unity and solidarity between our countries that collect it "One culture, traditions and religious beliefs. We look forward in the future to working with our partners locally and regionally to spread awareness about the importance of this tree in our shared culture and history and work to preserve it."

Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, said, "The palm tree has a long and authentic heritage in Arab culture, and it is a symbol of the giving around which many values ​​revolve around our culture. It represented a hub for the lives of the ancestors in the past and through them they were able to challenge difficult life conditions and lack of natural resources. The palm tree remained blessed in our culture throughout the ages, and its registration in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO comes as an international recognition of its distinguished position, and reflects our concern to preserve traditions and heritage that represents values ​​that are celebrated globally.

"We were honored to lead coordination between the Arab countries to register the palm tree on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO, and then prepare the nomination file in cooperation with the ALCO (Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science) in a manner that meets all the criteria for nomination, and give the palm the place it deserves in Arab heritage Especially because it occupies a prominent place in the heritage due to the reliance of grandparents on it as a major food resource and around it many agricultural practices and traditional crafts revolve and many customs and beliefs relate to it, and many of them still exist to this day.

He explained, "The Palm file comes as a continuation of the march of cooperation that the United Arab Emirates made with UNESCO, and its commitment to preserve and preserve the national heritage because of the value it represents to the culture and people of the Emirates. The registration of heritage elements in UNESCO lists follows practical steps to preserve it and find contemporary methods that guarantee On the other hand, the inclusion of the palm tree on the UNESCO world list in the name of fourteen Arab countries is evidence of the breadth and similarity of the elements of the Arab cultural heritage, which goes back to the same roots, as the palm tree is a symbol of originality And giving in all Arab countries. "

It is noteworthy that the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi has led the registration of eight elements of the national heritage of the UAE in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, since 2010 it succeeded in registering: Saqqara, Sadu, Al-Tawrouda, Al-Ayala, Rizafa, Majlis, Arabic coffee, Al-Ezzi. This comes within the department's efforts to preserve and promote the heritage and find ways and means to ensure its continuity and transfer to future generations.