Tunisia/Regional conference in Sousse: Cultural governance in the Arab region at the heart of the debate

Published on 16/05/2022 | La rédaction

Tunisie

The city of Sousse hosted on May 12, 13 and 14, a regional conference on governance in the cultural sector in the Arab region, placed on the theme "Arab experiences in cultural governance.

This appointment of Arab scope is organized by the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (Alecso) and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

The Conference was opened Wednesday morning in the presence of the Minister of Cultural Affairs, Hayet Ketat Guermazi. The main lines of work of his department were the focus of his speech.

The ministry adopts the guidelines of the national strategy of governance and the fight against corruption (2016-2020). A set of programs have been launched for this purpose, which concern, in particular, the revision of public aid on the legal and organizational level.

Mrs. Guermazi explained the basis of an approach that aims to ensure more transparency and efficiency through the proper management of public funds and which focuses on the promotion of youth investment in the cultural sector.

In application of these guidelines, a working committee bringing together all stakeholders is working on the revision of working methods in the examination of applications from professionals in the various branches of the cultural sector.

The revision also concerns festivals and cultural and artistic events with the aim of achieving an equitable distribution at the geographical level and the proposed content. The valuation of regional specificities is at the heart of this orientation towards the democratization of cultural action.

The Minister recalled that the Tunisian legislation enshrines the principles of good governance, local governance mechanisms and participatory, as well as a set of cultural rights, such as the right to cultural and intellectual property, freedom of creation and preservation of cultural heritage.

His department works to entrench the application of these rights through a participatory and comprehensive approach that covers the various cultural actors and members of civil society.

The representative of ALECSO, Ahmadou Habibi, said that this conference is part of the commitments of the Arab Organization in the modernization of methods of cultural work in the Arab region and the promotion of joint cultural action.

He also mentioned an appointment that is the first of its kind, through which Alecso aims to shed light on the issue of governance in the cultural sector so that it adapts to ongoing developments at the regional and international level.

Alecso is working to create an Arab project to measure the rate of integrity and transparency in the cultural sector, said the official. The purpose of this project is to make it a basic reference for national policies and their implementation according to the needs of each country and within a framework of sustainable governance in the cultural sector.

The Sousse Conference is organized in the presence of various actors in the cultural sector in the Arab region, representatives of international and regional organizations, as well as members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Tunisia. The line-up of scientific sessions on the state of play of governance in Arab countries and an overview of successful Arab experiences in this area.

The importance of the role of governance in achieving development goals is at the heart of this meeting, also devoted to the issue of management of cultural projects, including the preservation and enhancement of heritage.

Speakers examine ways to strengthen the culture of governance in the management of cultural institutions in Arab countries. The objective is to promote the tools and mechanisms of governance, as well as the legal framework that governs it.

The aim, also, is to reactivate the principles of governance in the management of cultural institutions and their development in order to strengthen their contribution to the achievement of development goals.

Source: lapresse.tn/130353


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