UAE to head Alecso's Permanent Committee for Arab Culture

A division of the Arab League, Alecso looks after education and culture among the 22 member states

Salma Al Darmaki, the Secretary General of the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, has been appointed as head of the committee. Photo: UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth
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The UAE will chair the Permanent Committee for Arab Culture in the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Alecso).

An agreement to this effect was reached at a conference of Arab culture ministers hosted by Expo 2020 Dubai in December.

Alecso is a division of the Arab League that looks after education and culture among its 22 member states.

Salma Al Darmaki, who is currently the Secretary General of the UAE National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, has been appointed as head of the committee.

This is the second time in Alecso's history that a woman has been appointed as chair.

“The UAE has been investing earnestly in its youth, which has been instrumental in the success of young Emirati talent and the achievements of Emirati women,” said Al Darmaki.

“Our leadership’s strategy, vision and their continuous guidance and support have helped us reach new heights of success in the Arab region as well as around the world.”

Al Darmaki was trained in law at the University of London and received a master’s degree in human rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She studied at Zayed University in the UAE for her bachelor’s degree.

As part of the UAE National Commission she has been instrumental in gaining traction for the UAE’s projects with Unesco, for example on investing in the creative economy and in arts and culture education, and in the declaration of World Futures Day.

She also oversees the UAE-Unesco collaboration in restoring heavily damaged sites of Mosul’s Old Town, such as the “hunchback” Al Nuri Mosque.

At Alecso, the UAE will aid in co-ordinating the projects of the league’s members states, which include digitising and protecting Arabic manuscripts, assisting in online schooling in response to Covid-19, and supporting Arabic language programmes.

Alecso is headed by Prof Mohamed Ould Amar from Mauritania.

Updated: January 25, 2022, 5:06 AM