NEW YORK: Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and the World Monuments Fund signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enlist Failaka island in Kuwait in the UNESCO’s world heritage list, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported on Friday.
The MoU was signed late Thursday by NCCAL Secretary-General Mohammad Al-Jassar and the fund’s President and CEO Benedicte de Montlaur, in the presence of Kuwaiti Ambassador to the U.S. Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, at the fund’s headquarters in Manhattan.
NCCAL’s Al-Jassar underscored the importance of Failaka island in Kuwait, the Gulf and the world. Dating back to 4,200 years, the island saw the era of five different civilizations and was last inhabited 34 years ago, he said.
The enlisting process includes scanning archaeology sites on the island to determine the plan to turn them into a cultural tourism attraction in the future, Al-Jassar noted.
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the leading independent organisation devoted to safeguarding the world’s
most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. The organisation is headquartered in New York City and its global team of experts has preserved the world’s diverse cultural heritage using the highest international standards at more than 700 sites in 112 countries.
Source: Emirates News Agency
