Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), presented several recommendations to achieve world cultural security and keep up with digital advancement. Dr. Benarafa listed, among others, strengthening digital cultural infrastructure, creating digital cultural institutions and promoting their activities, setting out appropriate legislations to ensure the sustainability of digital cultural action, protecting copyrights, and providing adequate support to cultural institutions and creators to sustain their various cultural content production through various digital mediums.

Dr. Benarafa made this statement in a paper on “World Cultural Security and Digital Advancements,” which he presented at the 9th Session of Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, held in the UAE, on 8-10 November 2022, under the theme, “Global Conflict and Universal Peace: Urgent Needs and Opportunities for Partnership.” T

he Forum is held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and saw high-caliber participation including religious leaderships, decision-makers, ministers, government officials, representatives of international organizations and government bodies, and activists in the fields of peace and tolerance advocacy across the globe.

Dr. Benarafa stressed that cultural security is a key element in anchoring world peace, social justice, self-growth and accepting the Other in multi-racial, multi-cultural communities. The ICESCO official stated that this is what ICESCO seeks to achieve through its programs which aim to contribute to achieving cultural equilibrium and respecting cultural distinction of the countries of the Islamic world.

Moreover, the Deputy Director-General stressed that achieving cultural security in the Islamic world hinges upon documenting all cultural knowledge and heritage, both tangible and intangible, using all means available. He noted that ICESCO created the Islamic World Heritage Committee and the Center for Heritage in the Islamic World to address major shortcomings it has observed in the proper management of heritage in the Islamic world, adding that over the past three years alone, ICESCO inscribed 460 historical sites and cultural elements in its heritage lists.

In another vein, ICESCO set up a special pavilion at the exhibition organized on the sidelines of the Forum. The pavilion was overseen by Mr. Ali Ndiaye, Program Director at the Sector of Human and Social Sciences, and featured several ICESCO publications pertaining to the fields of peace and civilizational dialogue.