On World Heritage Day … does UNESCO need to change its laws to preserve the history of humanity?

The world celebrates the 18th of April of each year as World Heritage Day, a day set by the International Council of Buildings and Archaeological Sites (ICOMOS) to celebrate it every year, as this event is held under the auspices of UNESCO and the World Heritage Organization.

This day aims to protect the human heritage, according to the agreement approved by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which was held in Paris in 1972, and Egypt tops the list of countries that have archaeological sites that fall under the World Heritage List .. What does the human heritage need before Being lost?

Professor Abdel Rahim Mohamed, an archeology expert at the University of Bahri in Sudan, believes that celebrating the World Heritage Day is a good thing, but UNESCO must take practical steps to preserve the world heritage, whether this archaeological heritage is material or intangible, such as folklore and cultural legacies in the world.

Comprehensive protection

In his interview with “Sputnik”, he called for the protection of archaeological buildings and sites, in parallel with the interest in folklore, whether it is music, singing, or folk arts in its various branches, and he said, “What we notice is that there are annual celebrations that are held in relation to heritage, but things should not be limited to Celebration, there must be full material and technical support for all institutions concerned with heritage, whether scientific or museums and centers concerned with heritage, in all parts of the world, especially in the Arab and Islamic world.

The Sudanese expert believes that such a celebration should take a different approach, “practical and practical, and there should be continuity in cultural activities, even in light of the current situation and the Corona pandemic, there must be activity while adhering to the precautionary measures or through various media.”

Laws change

Muhammad pointed out that there are many archaeological sites in the world exposed to dangers as a result of environmental and climatic changes, and that there are human encroachments that violate the monuments and establish projects on them, in addition to the reservoirs and dams that are built in many regions, especially in the areas of ancient civilizations such as the civilizations of the Nile Valley in Egypt, Sudan and Mesopotamia are in Iraq and Syria, and these areas need technical, technical and material support.

The Sudanese expert noted the need to change UNESCO’s laws and legislation in order to provide more protection for the human world heritage, and many heritage exhibits in the world’s museums, to which the antiquities were transferred from their original home during the colonial period, must also be reconsidered. From agreements and returning artifacts to their places of origin.

Traditions and proverbs

For his part, Magdy Shaker, an Egyptian antiquities expert, said that the world heritage is divided into material and moral, and includes customs, traditions, proverbs and everything related to human life, and unfortunately UNESCO does not bind everyone by its law regarding heritage except in one case, that this heritage has joined it, As we find in Egypt with all this heritage, it has only 8 heritage areas that have joined UNESCO, and only those eight regions are subject to the laws of UNESCO.

In his interview with “Sputnik”, Shaker stressed that all of Egypt is an open museum, but only 8 regions are subject to the laws of UNESCO, so the local laws in each country are the ones that oblige the citizen to preserve the heritage, and in all cases laws do not succeed, but rather awareness. And people’s love for their heritage and their desire to preserve it.

The archaeological expert pointed out that UNESCO is an international civil organization, to which countries go every year to add their heritage, after they apply to this heritage the ten rules set by the organization, and it may take years for this heritage to be accepted, and in all cases UNESCO has done the most important An event and an achievement that took place in its history when it helped Egypt save the monuments of Nubia.