Khalifa sets up Abu Dhabi culture and heritage body
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, has issued a law setting up the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, has issued a law setting up the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority.
The law stipulates that the newly established body will be a general authority.
It will be a corporate body and a fully independent financial and administrative entity with full legal competence to assume its activities.
It will be based in Abu Dhabi, and the authority's board of directors has the right to set up branches and offices inside the country.
The objectives of the authority include sponsoring intellectual and artistic activities as well as preserving cultural heritage of the emirate.
They also include:
- Promoting Abu Dhabi's cultural heritage.
- Drawing up cultural policies, plans and programmes as well as implementing them.
- Studying projects related to developing, protecting and promoting Abu Dhabi's cultural heritage as well as submitting the necessary suggestions to authorities concerned.
- Organising exhibitions, conferences related to cultural heritage as well as sponsoring intellectual and art activities.
- The authority's jurisdictions also include management of lectures, conferences and cultural shows as well as organising symposiums, seminars and intellectual, scientific and art gatherings.
- Publishing studies and research.
- Preserving archaeological and heritage buildings as well as historic sites.
- Preparing lists of movable and immovable properties.
- Prospecting and drilling for archaeological sites as well as issuing the necessary licences for such activities.
- Restoring archaeological sites and heritage buildings.
- Overseeing scientific and archaeological expeditions.
- Establishing a department to manage, develop and supervise museums and other buildings where cultural artefacts are housed recommending laws and regulations to protect, promote and preserve cultural heritage.
- Providing support for training and educational activities in the authority's field of specialisation as well as developing human and cultural resources in the fields of documentation, classification, archiving and preservation of cultural heritage
- Outlining plans for activities of museums, in addition to planning for heritage related exhibitions.
- Cracking down on violations or any damage to the cultural heritage and antiquities of the emirate as well as taking legal action.
- Providing support and assistance to bodies working in the field of the preservation, management and promotion of cultural heritage.
- Exercising control over heritage and cultural property, whether public or private.
- Managing the National Library in such a way so as to enrich and promote intellectual, artistic and scientific activities in Abu Dhabi.
- Recording national history through the collection of documents, the registering of the heritage of the emirate and through the publication of works in this field.
The authority will be run by a Board of Directors, consisting of a Chairman, a Deputy Chairman and seven members, whose powers will be specified by a decision to be issued by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
Members shall serve for a renewable term of five years.
The authority will have its own budget, which should be approved by the Executive Council.
The law also stipulates that employees of the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi, established under the terms of Decree No 7 for 1981, and the employees of the Department of Antiquities and Tourism in Al Ain, which is affiliate of the Court of the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region, shall be transferred to the new authority.
The new law abrogates Law No 7 of 1981 and any other provisions may contradict its provisions.
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