Sharjah: The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) has been awarded the Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage in its sixth edition through its Heritage Centre in the Islamic World, in the category of “Best Practices for Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage – Arab Category”.

The award recognises its outstanding efforts and initiatives to protect, document, promote and ensure the sustainability of the cultural heritage of the Islamic world and pass it on to future generations.

The honour recognises the role played by ICESCO in safeguarding cultural heritage through specialised programmes and initiatives aimed at protecting heritage, studying and documenting its elements, raising awareness of their civilisational value, and supporting member states in developing practical mechanisms to preserve their cultural heritage and ensure its continuity.

The Sharjah International Award for Cultural Heritage is a specialised award recognising outstanding efforts to safeguard, protect and study cultural heritage and ensure its continuity. It is divided into three main fields: “Best Practices for Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage”, “Best Narrators and Bearers of Cultural Heritage (Living Human Treasures)”, and “Best Research and Studies in Cultural Heritage”. The award covers local, Arab and international categories.

Representing ICESCO at the award ceremony was Salem Omar Salem, Director of the Regional Office of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) in Sharjah, who received the award on behalf of the organisation.

Salem Omar Salem said the honour recognises ICESCO’s ongoing efforts to safeguard the cultural heritage of the Islamic world, noting that the organisation attaches great importance to protecting cultural heritage, promoting its sustainability, and passing its values and knowledge on to future generations.

“We are proud of this honour for ICESCO, which reflects recognition of its efforts and initiatives to protect, document and promote heritage and strengthen its presence at both regional and international levels. It also serves as an incentive to continue developing initiatives that contribute to preserving and safeguarding cultural heritage for future generations,” he said.

He explained that the significance of this achievement is linked to ICESCO’s role in safeguarding the foundations of the Islamic world, including identity, culture, heritage, knowledge, the environment and values, while working to strengthen their ability to adapt to future changes. This helps preserve their presence and role in shaping the cultural awareness and collective civilisational memory of peoples across the Islamic world.

Through its Heritage Centre in the Islamic World, ICESCO develops and implements specialised initiatives and programmes to protect, safeguard and promote heritage. It also supports member states in documenting their cultural heritage, raising awareness of its importance, and developing mechanisms that contribute to its sustainability and transmission to future generations, strengthening the role of heritage as a source of knowledge and cultural and civilisational value.

Salem Omar also pointed out that the organisation’s efforts in this field include strengthening cooperation with cultural, research and academic institutions at regional and international levels. This opens up broader opportunities for exchanging expertise and knowledge, developing projects and initiatives focused on protecting cultural heritage, and making use of modern tools to document, preserve and make heritage accessible to future generations.