Abu Dhabi: Several countries have started to submit applications to Unesco to join the falconry list following the inscription of falconry on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at Unesco, during the 5th meeting by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at Unesco, which was held in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2010.
The registration has received high praise from countries, organisations, bodies and figures concerned with the preservation and safeguarding of heritage.
Austria and Hungary submitted two separate applications to the Secretariat of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at Unesco, expressing their interest to join the countries, which have adopted this project, and therefore be allowed to practice the heritage of hunting with falcons under the umbrella of Unesco.
Pakistan and Croatia also showed their interest to join the file which was coordinated and prepared by the UAE, represented by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and a number of concerned institutions at the UAE. This was achieved in cooperation with Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Mongolia, Morocco, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Syria.
Speaking about the growing number of countries interested in joining the joint international falconry dossier, Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Advisor for Culture and Heritage at the Court of His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Director-General of ADACH, said: "In the UAE, we will be pleased if any country joins the eleven countries which have adopted the nomination of the joint falconry dossier for registration at Unesco. These countries had the honour of having the dossier registered in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at Unesco.
"Falconry has a prominent status in our heritage, a status built by the forefathers and fathers. Its presence in our cultural life has been strengthened by late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul, and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, may God protect him," added Mazrouei.
"It was expected that several countries would join the falconry dossier due to the geographical, historical and civil dimensions of this heritage among most peoples," he emphasised.
Efforts were exerted to perfectly prepare the dossier, which made it an example for the joint heritage dossiers presented by countries for the registration of joint heritage elements therein.
For his part, Dr Nasir Ali Al Humairi, Director of the Intangible Heritage Department at ADACH, explained the mechanisms through which any new country can join the falconry dossier: "It starts with sending a joining application to the Secretariat of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at Unesco and a similar application to the UAE, being the leading and coordinating country of the dossier.
"Also, the country interested to join sends an application to the 11 countries involved in this dossier. The next step is the holding of a meeting by the countries involved in the dossier and the country or the countries interested to join in the UAE, being the leading country in the preparation of the dossier.
"Afterwards the application is sent to the Secretariat of Unesco in Paris which, in turn, refers it to the committee of experts that consists of six countries representing the groups of countries which signed the 2003 convention.
"After the committee of experts gives its final opinion, it refers it up to the special Secretariat of Unesco , which, in turn, drafts a brief report, including an agreement proposal. The proposal is then referred to the periodic meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for official approval. After this approval, this heritage element becomes registered in the name of these countries on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."
