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Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
QNL leads regional efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property
Tribune News Network Doha As part of its ongoing commitment to preserving heritage, Qatar National Library (QNL), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)'s Regional Preservation and Conservation Centre for the Arab region, continues to champion efforts to prevent the illicit trade of cultural property across the region. In collaboration with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), Qatar's General Authority of Customs, and Morocco's Administration of Customs and Indirect Taxes, Qatar National Library (QNL) is co-organizing the International Conference and High-Level Regional Workshop on the Role of Customs Authorities in Combating the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property. The event, which began on 30 June and will continue until 5 July, is being held at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat, Morocco. The initiative consists of an international conference on the opening day, followed by a comprehensive five-day regional workshop that brings together customs officials, cultural heritage professionals, and law enforcement representatives from across the region, focusing on enhancing customs officers' capacity to identify and safeguard cultural property, apply international legal frameworks, and collaborate effectively with cultural and enforcement institutions. The opening ceremony featured remarks from distinguished officials including Minister of Justice, Kingdom of Morocco, Abdellatif Ouahbi; Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Kingdom of Morocco, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid; Executive Director of Qatar National Library, Tan Huism; Director-General of ICESCO, Dr. Salem bin Mohammed Al-Malik; Assistant Chairman for Customs Affairs at Qatar's General Authority of Customs Talal Abdullah Al Shaibi and senior officials Morocco's Administration of Customs and Indirect Taxes. Tan Huism discussed the gravity of the increased threats to cultural heritage, and the importance of customs authorities in combating illicit trafficking, but also the role of the media and society. She discussed the efforts that Qatar National Library has made in this area, and the importance of working in partnership. She continued: 'Cultural items are expressions of who we are as a society. They hold our collective memory, reflect our identity, and offer insight into our values and beliefs. By working hand in hand with regional and international partners, we remain committed to preventing the trafficking of cultural property and ensuring they are preserved for future generations,' she said. Talal Al Shaibi emphasized the importance of collaboration with organizations like QNL and ICESCO in strengthening the ability of customs authorities to protect cultural heritage across borders. 'Customs authorities are often the first line of defence against the illegal movement of cultural assets. Thus, they play a crucial and leading role in combatting the illicit trade,' he said. Dr. Al Malik noted that the workshop represents a key milestone in building bridges between cultural institutions and customs authorities throughout the Islamic world, reinforcing ICESCO's mission to advance cultural heritage protection. The event marked a significant step forward in strengthening regional cooperation to combat crimes against cultural property and further solidified QNL's leadership in heritage preservation. QNL's efforts are aligned with Qatar's broader vision to safeguard cultural identity. As IFLA's Regional Preservation and Conservation Centre for the region, QNL plays a pivotal role in fostering regional collaboration, providing training and support for the protection of heritage.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan finmin to discuss global finance challenges at international conference in Spain this week
KARACHI: Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will discuss global finance challenges and meet policymakers from other countries at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) being held in Spain this week, the finance ministry said on Monday. The conference, which is being held from July 1 to 3 in Seville, will bring together leaders, policymakers and international development experts to explore innovative and sustainable financing strategies to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly for developing and emerging economies, the finance ministry said. Aurangzeb is scheduled to take part in several key conferences and high-level side events, where he will present Pakistan's take on the prevalent global finance issues and greater cooperation among nations. 'The Finance Minister's participation at FFD4 underscores Pakistan's commitment to promoting innovative financing solutions, strengthening international cooperation, and enhancing the country's voice in global development discourse,' the finance ministry said. Sharing details of the finance minister's engagements at the conference, the ministry said he will co-chair the multi-stakeholder roundtable on 'Leveraging Private Business and Finance' on July 1 and deliver a keynote address at the International Business Forum Policy Dialogue on 'Accelerating EMDEs Investment: The Role of Credit Ratings.' The minister is also scheduled to address the General Debate of the conference and participate in the roundtable discussion on 'Revitalizing International Development Cooperation,' the ministry said. It added that as part of a UNICEF-hosted side event, Aurangzeb will speak on 'Driving Capital Towards Children and Young People: A Dialogue on Innovative and Sustainable Financing for Children.' It said the finance minister will also attend and speak as the chief guest at a special session titled 'Swapping Out Debt for Development: The DCS Financing Approach,' where he will highlight Pakistan's perspectives on debt transformation and the potential of deposit protection mechanisms to support development finance. He will also participate as a panelist at the International Business Forum's side event on 'Scaling Up SME Finance,' focusing on enhanced financial inclusion for small and medium-sized enterprises, the ministry added. 'In addition to his conference engagements, the Finance Minister will hold bilateral meetings with key international figures, including Mr. John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce, and H.E. Mr. Steven Collet, Vice Minister for Development of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,' the finance ministry said. Pakistan has been navigating a tricky path to recovery from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that has weakened its foreign exchange reserves, drained its resources and triggered a balance of payments crisis. The government says it is committed to the reforms course, which includes privatizing state-owned enterprises incurring losses, widening the tax base and improving its energy sector.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New approaches needed to address accelerating digital change, say panellists
SINGAPORE – Countries must find bold new ways to better manage their societies as they get continually transformed by technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), a group of eminent speakers urged on June 25. The need for agile and consultative governance is pressing as the benefits of digitalisation have unfortunately come at a considerable cost, such as the rise of digital echo chambers that feed prejudice and the propagation of extremist ideologies, said Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah. Delivering the keynote speech on the second day of the annual International Conference of Cohesive Societies, the Sultan said digital transformation of society is one of three interlocking factors that have fuelled uncertainty and challenged social cohesion. 'Our digital spaces, which should be so good at opening doors and minds, are instead responsible for closing them,' he said. 'The very technologies that promise inclusion can entrench exclusion (while) our information ecosystems have become battlegrounds.' The other two factors he cited are the unprecedented pace of international migration due to reasons such as climate change and political instability, and the rise in populism and protectionism caused by the unequal outcomes of globalisation. At a discussion following the keynote, former civil service head Peter Ho noted how social media has dramatically weakened the ability of governments to regulate information flows, and that misinformation is outpacing the ability of states to correct it and control its impact. He referenced a stabbing incident in Britain that claimed the lives of three young girls in 2024. Far-right groups had stoked speculation online that the suspect was a Muslim migrant, despite the police clarifying that the attacker was born in Britain. This led to targeted attacks on the Muslim community, including a local mosque. Riots also erupted in 27 towns. The incident highlighted the jurisdictional limitations countries have in regulating social media platforms with a global reach, said Mr Ho, who is now a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic Futures think-tank. It is a fool's errand to think that governments alone can regulate technology that is changing so fast and impacting society, he added. Fellow panellist Fadi Chehade, managing partner at investment firm Ethos Capital, sketched out three ways in which AI will only accelerate the reconfiguring of societies. On the point of echo chambers, he noted that AI will only result in further hyper personalisation of digital content, which could further atomise communities. The advent of AI also promises to multiply by millions of times the amount of misinformation that will be created, said the former president and chief executive of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a non-profit that coordinates the administration of the web's protocols. Lastly, the years ahead will see AI agents created at a pace that outnumbers the population of humans on the planet, dissolving the line separating the real world from cyberspace, he added. 'That's the world we're getting into, and I don't think any of us – or any government, or any one institution – has the power to slow down the hybrid world we're about to get into,' he said. But rather than look at the future with gloom, the experts outlined ways in which countries can adapt to deal with the gathering pace of change. Panellist Ahmed Aboutaleb, the former mayor of Rotterdam, recounted his experience building trust between government institutions and citizens, which involved the time-tested approach of spending many evenings and hours engaging in face-to-face dialogue to understand people's needs and concerns. 'What people like is that the man or the woman in power gets to the level of the streets,' he said. Mr Ho called for governments to have the humility to know they need to work closely with the private sector and the people sector, as it is through this 'triangular relationship' that trust can be built up and consensus reached to tackle complex problems such as those brought about by technology. Agreeing, Mr Chehade said these three groups working together can create a better form of multi-stakeholder governance. This is as the private sector would have to act within checks and balances, governments would not be imposing regulations that are out of sync with the digital world and civil society and people will have their voices heard, he said. He also called for the legal concept of subsidiarity to apply to the governance of the digital world, meaning that regulations are shaped by each community based on its prevailing cultural norms, rather than for there to be universal standards imposed by distant authorities or bodies. Sultan Nazrin said the temptation during times of such upheaval would be to look to familiar ways of doing things, but that doing so would be a mistake. 'There is a temptation to retreat – to retreat into narrower circles of identity, to hoard privileges and to romanticise a past that, if we are honest and stripped away nostalgia, never was,' he said. Instead, he called for courage and clarity, which in the face of uncertainty 'can become a valuable compass and a crucible for renewal'. Quoting the philosopher Aristotle and singer Dolly Parton, the Sultan said: 'You cannot change the wind, but you can adjust the sails.' Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
CNA
7 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Cohesion does not happen by chance and demands intentionality: Edwin Tong
SINGAPORE: Cohesion does not happen by chance and "demands intentionality", said Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong on Thursday (Jun 26). 'It must be deliberate, it must be front of mind, it must be something we're conscious of, that we must organise ourselves around it,' Mr Tong said at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies at Raffles City Convention Centre. 'It requires what I call intentional multiculturalism – something that is not left to chance, cannot be built by chance,' he added. Social cohesion does not exist as a natural state, and "our most primal instincts tell us to look for people who are similar to us". 'We hang out with people who look like us, speak like us, share our beliefs, and basically a reflection of ourselves.' Mr Tong said it cannot be assumed that cohesiveness can happen by chance, especially when there is a diverse group of people with different interests, faiths and backgrounds. 'We must work very hard, and this is painstaking work,' he said. 'But if we get it right, we can build shared norms and common goals and aspirations, and be in a position to create an environment where people don't just tolerate one another, but we embrace one another.' Mr Tong also said true cohesion and societal harmony cannot be the product of a 'single silver bullet', as people come from different heritages and cultural norms. 'It is also multifaceted because no two communities can ever be alike. It is also constantly evolving across different generations," he added. More than 1,000 people, including policymakers, community practitioners and young leaders from over 50 countries, attended the conference organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. MULTICULTURALISM "NOT A NATURAL STATE" As Singapore celebrates its 60th year of independence this year, Mr Tong said this is a milestone in the country's journey in building a cohesive multicultural society. However, it is also an opportunity for people in Singapore to ask themselves what more can be done to reach "SG100 and beyond". Singapore has become a 'kaleidoscope' of different ethnicities, religions and languages, said Mr Tong, adding that multiculturalism is not a natural state and should always be a constant work in progress. Before ending his speech, Mr Tong spoke about how cohesion building should be approached. 'I believe that our push must always be with an open heart, always prepared to see across differences, willing to foster care, ideas and build hopes with people who might look, think, speak differently from ourselves,' he said.
LBCI
25-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
FM Rajji discusses upcoming development conference and UNIFIL role with Spanish Ambassador
Lebanon's Foreign Minister, Youssef Rajji, met with the Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon, Jesús Santos Aguado, who briefed him on the ongoing preparations and details of the upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development, scheduled to take place at the end of this month in Seville, Spain, with Lebanon set to participate. The meeting also touched on Lebanese-Spanish relations, particularly at the political level. Ambassador Aguado praised the leadership of former UNIFIL commander, Spanish General Aroldo Lázaro, and reaffirmed Spain's commitment to UNIFIL's role in Lebanon. He also presented Minister Rajji with an overview of the cultural activities organized by the Spanish Embassy in Lebanon.
