President of the foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat

Le 14 février 2020, le Conseil d’Administration de la Fondation pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Culturel de Rabat, présidé par Son Altesse Royale la Princesse Lalla Hasnaa, arrêtait un plan d’action très riche offrant aux acteurs du patrimoine culturel – institutionnels, société civile et experts – de multiples opportunités d’échanger les visions et de partager les savoirs. La volonté première de la Fondation étant de conjuguer la préservation du patrimoine culturel non au passé, mais au futur et toujours au pluriel.

Managers of classified sites, local actors in charge of regional planning and, more broadly, professionals, teachers and other stakeholders of the heritage conservation have been invited to attend this webinar dedicated to the concept of Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), and to the interest of this powerful tool allowing to intervene in a preventive way against any urban development that could negatively impact the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of a property inscribed on the World Heritage list.

This scientific meeting, which was held face-to-face, by videoconference and via webinar, was organized by the Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Culture And Sports, the Rabat office of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

The discussions resulted in the drafting of five main recommendations:

  • The incorporation in Law n ° 22-80 of provisions governing world heritage and HIA;
  • The establishment of a regulatory framework relating to these studies as well as a funding mechanism guaranteeing the impartiality of their authors;
  • The rapprochement with the global consultative bodies in order to be inspired by good practices;
  • The integration of HIA and notions of Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) in training;
  • Capacity building of stakeholders in this area.