NEW YORK: Kuwaiti Ambassador to US Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah has affirmed Kuwait’s continuous efforts to protect its cultural heritage. The remarks came in a statement to KUNA after signing a memorandum of understanding between the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and the World Monuments Fund. The process has economic, educational, cultural and environmental aspects to it, she noted.

Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and the World Monuments Fund signed the MoU to enlist Failaka Island in the UNESCO’s world heritage list. The memorandum was signed 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 US Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, at the fund’s headquarters in Manhattan.

NCCAL Secretary General Mohammad Al-Jassar and the fund’s President and CEO Benedicte de Montlaur take a photo after signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU).

In a statement to KUNA, Al-Jassar underlined 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, when the Iraqi invasion happened, he said. The enlisting process includes scanning archeology sites in the island to determine the plan to turn them into a cultural tourism attraction in the future, Al-Jassar noted. On his part, NCCAL assistant secretary general for archeology and museums Mohammad bin Redha said the memorandum of understanding’s strategy was by recommendation from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 2018. On her part, de Montlaur expressed her joy over signing the memorandum, adding that this is the fund’s first project in Kuwait. — KUNA