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Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Arab States Region Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO Cairo "Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Arab State RegionUnderwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) is defined by UNESCO as “all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years such as: i. sites, structures, buildings, artefacts and human remains, together with their archaeological and natural context; ii. vessels, aircraft, other vehicles or any part thereof, their cargo or other contents, together with their archaeological and natural context; and iii. objects of prehistoric character”1.This definition relates primarily to the age and environmental conditions of the deposit, i.e., the remains must have existed fully or partially “underwater” for at least 100 years, regardless of their type, nature, or the culture to which they belong. Once these core elements have been confirmed, the archaeological material can be defined further according to one or more specific criteria: - chronology – the time period the remains date from; - region – the geographical area where the remains were found; - typology – the physical categorisation of the remains, e.g., pottery, animal bone, stone etc.It is important to recognise that while the above criteria will remain constant, the “underwater” nature of the archaeological remains is subject to change, as a result of either human or environmental intervention. For example, many sites where prehistoric activity took place on land, usually close to ancient shorelines, are • 1 - UNESCO. 2001. Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. Paris: Records of the General Conference, 31st ses-sion, Article.Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Arab State Regionnow submerged due to rising sea levels. Similarly, items such as swords, deposited in lakes or rivers as part of past rituals, were made and used on land. These sites and artefacts have therefore come to meet the definition of “Underwater Cultural Heritage”. The opposite process is also possible: a shipwreck, for example, or other material remains lifted from the seabed and placed in a museum would lose its status as UCH. This nuance tells us that UCH is not necessarily a constant scientific term. It relates to the underwater environment in which the material culture is located rather than any inherent archaeological or cultural attribute2. That is not to say that the material culture’s underwater location is not important: on the contrary, the underwater context reveals changes in use, condition and meaning over time. The physical changes that the underwater environment can cause, such as corrosion or decay, and the natural, social and ideological changes that underwater locations can reflect, therefore, are vital parts of a site or object’s life history. The underwater location is also a key factor in determining which scientific techniques and methods to use when dealing with this type of material culture for purposes of exploration, research, documentation, excavation, conservation, presentation or public display. Thus, the study of UCH usually requires the use of tools and techniques that differ from those employed on terrestrial archaeological sites3. For this reason, UCH is frequently mentioned in association with underwater archaeology, i.e., archaeological work, such as excavation, recording and analysis, that takes place on partially or fully submerged sites. Underwater archaeology is governed by the same scientific principles and standards as archaeological work on land but is tailored to the specific challenges of underwater conditions4. The term “underwater archaeology” is not, therefore, a sub-discipline of archaeology. Instead, it is a technical term referring to a specific set of tools and techniques used in conducting archaeological work underwater, within the wider framework and principles of archaeological research." 
National Capacity Building on Inventorying the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Arab Republic of Egypt Year of publication: 2024 Author: Ahmed Bahi El Din | Haitham Younes Corporate author: UNESCO | UNESCO Cairo Communities in Egypt are inventorying their living heritage Egypt is famed for its rich civilization and long history. Egyptian identity is presented not only through archaeological sites and Ancient Egyptian civilization, but also through Egypt’s diverse living heritage. More than simply showing who they are today, this living heritage tells the story of how the Egyptians arrived at this point over the generations.To celebrate this identity and strengthen national capacities to safeguard it, UNESCO, alongside the Egyptian government and civil society, implemented the project Strengthening National Capacities for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Egypt for Sustainable Development, which ran from June 2018 to June 2021.The project focused on community-based inventorying of living heritage. This involved training workshops and a pilot community-based inventorying exercise, which took place in six different locations throughout Egypt (Cairo, Fayoum, Gharbeya, Aswan, Assuit, and Marsa Matrouh). Thanks to the project, participating community practitioners and heritage bearers are now equipped to inventory their own living heritage. • This pilot was Egypt’s first step to establishing a national inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) under the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with community practitioners. • This publication provides recommendations on how to further enhance national capabilities for ICH safeguarding and how to advance community engagement in the inventorying processes in Egypt. 
Building Knowledge Societies in the Arab Region: Arabic Language as a Gateway to Knowledge Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: UNESCO Cairo Building knowledge economies and societies is a professed objective in the Arab region. Most of the development plans in the Arab states clearly call for action to produce, transfer, localise and harness knowledge in various fields, in service of the sustainable human development goals. The Arabic language has an important role to play in this key development process, as the production, assimilation and dissemination of knowledge is more effective and more widely spread when the mother tongue is used. Hereupon, a fundamental question must be addressed: To what extent does the Arabic language today constitute a true gateway to knowledge in the Arab region?This report, prepared by a group of distinguished Arab experts, under supervision and coordination of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States, seeks to research this central question by reviewing and evaluating the state of knowledge in the Arab region on the one hand, and analysing the role of the Arabic language in the processes of establishing knowledge societies and economies in the Arab region on the other. The general section of the report addresses the question of knowledge and language at the Arab regional level. It also features field research conducted in three Arab states (Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Morocco), that examines the state of knowledge and the Arabic language in those states, and to a certain extent, reflects the situation in the Arab sub-regions to which they belong. 
Toolkit for Urban Inclusion in Arab Cities: Cities Promoting Inclusion Through Public Participation, Access to Information, Sport, and Citizenship and Human Rights Education Year of publication: 2020 Author: Kareem Ibrahim | Deena Khalil | Marwa Barakat | Salwa Salman Corporate author: UNESCO | European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (Austria) | UNESCO Cairo Arab cities are witnessing an unprecedented expansion. Home to more than half of the region’s population, Arab cities have transformed into heterogeneous spaces that host diverse identities, cultures, and ethnicities. In order for this transformation to lead to prosperity, city officials must adopt a rights-based, human-centred approach, and implement inclusive policies and measures that provide equal opportunities for all.In this context, the Toolkit for Urban Inclusion in Arab Cities provides Arab city leaders and local government officials with practical tools and advice to guide their efforts towards establishing inclusive and sustainable cities. The Toolkit is based on the real experiences and practices of cities members of the Coalition of Arab Cities against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance in planning, implementing and evaluating programs and projects that promote urban inclusion and combat exclusion in all its forms.The Toolkit focuses on four topics of high priority to the Arab Coalition member cities: public participation, access to information, sport for youth inclusion, and citizenship and human rights education. 
Inclusion of Women and Girls and Ensuring Their Rights: A Toolkit for Arab Cities Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO Cairo | European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (Austria) Even though women and girls represent close to or more than half of the population of most Arab cities, they are one of the groups that are historically and structurally excluded from decision-making and development planning in the cities. They face many barriers in accessing cities services, and inequality participating in cities activities. Developed on the basis of a virtual regional consultation workshop, as well as in-depth interviews with cities officials and representatives from the Coalition of Arab Cities against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance, this Toolkit provides tools and practical advice to enable Arab cities achieve a better inclusion of women and girls, and ensure their full right to benefit from local development programs. The toolkit mainly targets local authorities in Arab cities including Mayors, Members of Municipality Councils, Municipal executives, and Entities concerned with the design, implementation, follow-up, and evaluation of local projects and programs. “Since wars begin in the minds of men andwomen it is in the minds of men and womenthat the defences of peace must be constructed”Inclusion of women and girls in Arab cities: challenge or opportunity?This publication is the result of a joint effort involving the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Graz, UNESCO Coalition of Arab Cities against Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance, and UNESCO Cairo Office. 
Egyptian Youth Rethink the Future of Wellbeing in 2050: Report of the Futures Literacy Lab-novelty; Online, 21-24 July 2020 Year of publication: 2020 Corporate author: UNESCO Cairo The UNESCO (Cairo Office and Research, Policy and Foresight Section) and the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sport, with support of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, UNFPA and UN Women, organized a Futures Literacy Laboratory - Novelty (FLL-N) entitled “Egyptian Youth Rethink the Future of Wellbeing in 2050”. Held online during 21-24 July 2020, and deploying the latest advances in anticipatory systems thinking and collective intelligence processes, the Lab brought together around 30 persons from across Egypt for 8-hours intensive work spread over a week’s time.Thirty young participants explored the topic of ‘wellbeing’ in Egypt in 2050 using a tool called the Futures Literacy Lab-Novelty (FLL-N). Wellbeing is an open concept that invites many different ways of defining what it means to ‘live well’. The participants engaged in learning-by-doing activities that exercised their imaginations, exploring questions like, how do people in 2050 in Egypt describe ‘wellbeing’? What is daily life like such that people in 2050 believe that they have achieved ‘wellbeing’? By working together to imagine the future this Lab provided an opportunity to better understand the origins of what we imagine, why and how we create the images of the future, and crucially the powerful influence such images have on our fears and hopes, perceptions and choices.