H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, addressed the participants in the Symposium on "Culture as a Key Driver of Arab-African Partnership for Economic and Social Development", organized remotely by the Africa-Arab Cultural Institute on June 28, 2021.
In his statement, delivered on his behalf by Dr. Fethi Jerray, Expert at the Culture Department, Dr. Ould Amar highlighted the deep-rooted cultural and historical ties between African and Arab peoples, recalling, in this regard, the outcomes of the Arab-African ministerial meetings and the diverse Arab-African cooperation agreements, which constitute an adequate platform for further developing partnership and cooperation between the two spaces.
Dr. Ould Amar underlined the crucial role of culture in developing Arab-African relations, indicating that cultural fields such as heritage, creative industries, theater, cinema, and the book industry, provide significant investment opportunities, and help to serve common interests and achieve Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the new vision that places culture at the core of economic relations between peoples and States.
To further develop and consolidate Arab-African relations, Dr. Ould Amar offered a set of practical proposals and recommendations that were appreciated by all participants who called for their adoption and implementation. He concluded by reaffirming ALECSO’s commitment to pursuing work toward further strengthening cooperation and partnership between Arab and African cultural actors.
