NCCAL, monuments fund sign MoU on enlisting Failaka in UNESCO’s list

Kuwait's National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) and the World Monuments Fund signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enlist Failaka island in the UNESCO's world heritage list. The memorandum was signed late Thursday by NCCAL Secretary General Mohammad Al-Jassar and the fund's President and CEO Benedicte de Montlaur, with the presence of Kuwaiti Ambassador to the US Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah, at the fund's headquarters in Manhattan. 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 archology 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. Source: Kuwait News Agency