File Photo:The chief of the U.N.'s education and culture agency, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria talks during her meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby after her visit to the Arab League headquarters, in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, May 14, 2015 (AP)
UNESCO has established a high level forum on museums, in keeping with the body's 2015 recommendations concerning the protection and promotion of museums and collections, their diversity and their role in society.
The forum's inaugural meeting will take place in Shenzhen, China from 9 to 12 November 2016, according to a UNESCO press release.
The event is co-organized with the National Commission of People’s Republic of China to UNESCO, Shenzhen Municipality, Zhi Zhen Art Museum and the State Administration for Cultural Heritage (SACH) of China.
Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany travelled on Wednesday to attend the forum where he will deliver a speech on the role of Egyptian museums in protecting national heritage and raising cultural awareness.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will also attend the forum long with top Chinese officials and general directors of museums worldwide.
The forum will discuss issues concerning museums all over the globe, the press release stated, particularly as in the past 40 years the number of museums in the world has more than doubled.
Recognizing that museums play important social, educational and economic roles, Yasmin El-Shazly, General Supervisor of the International Organizations Department at the Ministry of Antiquities said that the Forum’s international panelists will discuss new museum sector trends and public policies.
Panelists will also discuss the protection of cultural property and collections, ethical and technological standards in museums, and how to better engage and benefit communities.
The implementation of UNESCO's 2015 recommendations will also be discussed, along with ways to boost international cooperation between museums.
Short link: