UAE to head ALECSO’s Permanent Committee for Arab Culture

The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) member countries have unanimously chosen the United Arab Emirates to head the Permanent Committee for Arab Culture. Her Excellency Salma Al Darmaki, Secretary General of the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, has been appointed to chair the Permanent Committee.

The decision comes after the 22nd edition of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers which was held in December 2021 at Expo 2020 Dubai. Her Excellency Salma Al Darmaki is the second woman to be appointed to this position in the history of ALECSO.

The Permanent Committee for Arab Culture is responsible for coordinating the work of various ALECSO member states in cultural fields. It proposes initiatives and joint projects for promoting Arab culture and follows up on the organisation's ongoing projects and activities in the cultural sector. The Standing Committee is also mandated to prepare for the Conference of Arab Ministers of Culture.

On this occasion, Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, Chair of the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science said: “The UAE’s selection to chair the Permanent Committee for Arab Culture reflects its pioneering position in the field of cultural and creative industries and is an affirmation of its ability to establish strong communication links between Arab countries.” 

Her Excellency added: The UAE enjoys excellent cultural relations regionally and globally. The impact of its cultural project which aims to enhance people’s awareness and enhance their contribution to culture, comes in line with unique initiatives that reaffirms the UAE’s position as a global cultural hub, and an incubator for creativity and talent. The UAE’s strategic plan seeks to invest in culture as a crucial tool in developing communities and people alike.

Her Excellency Salma Al Darmaki said: “Thanks to the UAE’s leadership and their long-term vision that today Emirati talent is being acknowledged not just locally and regionally but also globally. The UAE has been investing earnestly in its youth, which has been instrumental in the success of young Emirati talent and the achievements of Emirati women. Our leadership’s strategy, vision and their continuous guidance and support have helped us reach new heights of success in the Arab region as well as around the world.”

Her Excellency added: "I will be working closely with ALECSO’s Permanent Committee for Arab Culture to launch new initiatives and projects to strengthen the role of Arab culture in our present and future endeavours."

Her Excellency Salma Al Darmaki has been an Assistant Undersecretary for Knowledge and Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture and Youth since 2018 and has served as a Research Fellow at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development from 2017 to 2018. She was a researcher at the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations in Switzerland from 2016 - 2017, and an expert on Social Policy in the General Secretariat of the Executive Council in Abu Dhabi from 2011 and 2016, in addition to her work as a parliamentary researcher in the General Secretariat of the Federal National Council from 2009-2010. She also worked for the Abu Dhabi Government Restructuring Committee in 2008.

Her Excellency Al Darmaki holds a post graduate degree in International Law from the University of London, a Master’s in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom, and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Zayed University in the UAE.

As Secretary General of the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Her Excellency Al Darmaki managed the campaign for securing a seat for the UAE on the UNESCO Executive Board from 2019-2023. She played a key role in the first decision submitted by the UAE to the Executive Council of UNESCO on “A Framework for Arts and Culture Education” and the passing of a resolution on the “Building on the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development through Consolidated Action”. Some of her other achievements include the declaration of the World Futures Day by UNESCO as an annual international day after being proposed by the UAE, and the UAE securing a seat in the intergovernmental committee of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Her Excellency Al Darmaki has been working with the national authorities in the country to further the cause of cultural, educational and scientific endeavours, such as extending the registration of the falconry file for the fourth time in the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to become the largest file in the history of the organisation. In addition to supporting the nomination of Abu Dhabi as a Creative City for Music, making Abu Dhabi the third Emirate to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network along with Dubai and Sharjah. She also manages the UAE partnership with UNESCO in the pioneering "Revive the Spirit of Mosul" initiative.