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E-JUST/UNESCO Webinar on Museums and Sustainable Development in Egypt and Sudan

Under the banner of the ResiliArt debate, the second Webinar on Heritage Science and Africa was held on 5 September 2020. Jointly organised by the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States, the Webinar focused on Museums and Sustainable Development in Egypt and Sudan.  
The Webinar began with the message of Dr. Wafaa Seed Ahmed, Secretary-General of the Sudanese National Commission for UNESCO. Dr Ghaith Fariz, Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States, Dr Pavel Kroupkine, Head of the UNESCO Office in Khartoum, and the E-JUST, as well as Dr Abdelrazek Elnaggar, E-JUST, delivered the opening remarks.  
Three museums associated with the UNESCO International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia (1960-1980) were also represented, namely, Dr Ahmed Farouk Ghoneim, Executive Director of  the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) in Cairo, Dr Hosni Abdelrehaim, Director of the Nubia Museum in Aswan, and Dr Ikhlas Abdellatif, Deputy Director of the Sudan National Museum (SNM) in Khartoum. They made presentations on the achievements, progress, and plan of their respective institutions.  
Prof. Ismail Al Fehail, Director of the House of Heritage in Sudan also made a presentation on the national strategy for the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) safeguarding in Sudan that is under development.  
The presentations by the experts in museum studies and management, Dr Okasha El-Daly at the University College of London and Dr Ilona Regulski at the British Museum provided the international perspectives for the contribution of the museum sector to sustainable development.  
The virtual discussions with eighty attendees including fourty-eight women facilitated by the E-JUST moderator highlighted the importance of the multilateral cooperation framework for the safeguarding of the Nubian heritage and the development of the related museums to address continuing challenges.  The community-first approach traditionally applied by the Egyptian museums attracted attention, especially in this time when the tourism sector is recovering from the impact of the COVID-19. The participants also learned the significance of the ICH safeguarding in culturally diverse Sudan, its contribution to peace and prosperity, and the role community-based museums can play in ensuring community participation. Digital Divide in Africa was identified as one of the issues that needs to be addressed urgently.  
The next session of this Webinar series is planned for December 2020.