By Manal Abdel Fattah
The Head of the Media Affairs and Public Diplomacy Department at the UAE Embassy in Egypt, Hassan Al-Shamili, participated in the first “Emirati-Egyptian Libraries” symposium, which was organized by the Emirates Library and Information Association and the Egyptian Association for Libraries, Information and Archives, in conjunction with the Cairo International Book Fair in its fifty-fifth session. For the year 2024.
The symposium was attended by an elite group of intellectuals, thinkers, and library officials from Egypt and the Emirates, including Fahd Al-Maamari, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Library and Information Association, Dr. Sherif Shaheen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Library and Information Association, Dr. Nabhan Al-Harrasi, President of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information, and Mohamed Rashad, President of the Federation. Arab publishers, Dr. Ahmed Bahi El-Din, President of the Egyptian General Book Authority, Abdul Aziz Al-Musallam, President of the Sharjah Heritage Institute, and the writer and poet Sheikha Al-Mutairi.
Al-Shamili stressed in his speech that the United Arab Emirates, since its founding by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has been interested in establishing libraries because of their important roles in society, including spreading awareness and culture among citizens, and preserving the country’s heritage and identity, as the United Arab Emirates enjoys a rich heritage. An ancient culture, pointing out that this interest in establishing libraries continues and multiplies during the era of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, President of the State, as libraries are currently characterized by the use of modern technology.
He explained that this symposium comes within the active participation of Emirati cultural institutions in the activities of the fifty-fifth session of the Cairo International Book Fair, and within the framework of the distinguished cultural relations between the United Arab Emirates and the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt, which have reached the level of partnership, as the cultural dimension represents one of the dimensions of close relations. Between the two brotherly countries.
He pointed out that the cultural relations between Egypt and the Emirates extend before the founding of the Union State, starting with the educational missions that came to the Emirates and contributed to spreading education, as well as the arrival of Emirati scholarships to learn in Egypt, through the UAE’s support and implementation of many prominent cultural projects in Egypt, Including the construction by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the Institute for Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers in Egypt, the UAE providing a grant to restore the Museum of Islamic Art in Egypt, and Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, undertaking the restoration of the Scientific Complex building in Cairo. And the establishment of a new national records house in the Fustat area. For its part, Egypt was keen to participate with a distinguished pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai.
He explained that joint cooperation in the cultural field between Egypt and the Emirates continues at the official level through the signing of agreements between the responsible authorities, as well as at the popular level through participation in various cultural events in both countries.
The symposium included three sessions, and the first session was held under the title “The Role of Library and Information Associations in Promoting National Policy.” During that session, the research paper presented by Mr. Hamad Al-Humairi, Director of the Research and Knowledge Services Department at the Archives and the National Library, confirmed that library associations and national libraries have a prominent role in Leading national cultural policies and strengthening national policy at the cultural level; It sponsors many awards, and contributes to developing policies and frameworks that support librarians and best practices in public libraries, pointing to the role of associations in setting scientific and cultural agendas at book fairs, and in bringing people with expertise from different parts of the world to enhance the expertise of librarians, and setting standards and evidence in Supporting green libraries and their sustainability.
The Director of the Research and Knowledge Services Department explained the interest of library associations in making optimal use of various library facilities to highlight the creativity of their patrons and embrace their ambitions and innovations.
This specialized symposium is the first of its kind at the regional level, and aims to exchange experiences and cultures between workers in the Emirati and Egyptian office sectors. It included three sessions, the second session revolved around building partnerships with governments and international and regional organizations, while the third session dealt with “advocacy strategies and mobilizing… Support for libraries at the national and regional levels.
