Presenting the bill before the Committee on Education, Culture and Communication in the House of Representatives, the minister indicated that this text intervened in a context marked by archaeological discoveries important which placed the Kingdom on the map ofarcheology and the geology on a global scale.
It also intervenes in the context of the major challenges for the successful organization by Morocco of the Football World Cup in 2030noted Mr. Bensaïd, thereby evoking the importance of highlighting the richness and authenticity of the national heritageto strengthen its legal arsenal, to proceed with its digitization and fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property. According to the minister, it is also a question of strengthening the legal framework relating to the protection of heritage so that it is in tune with international standards ratified by Morocco and ongoing societal and institutional development, and in line with this. of the 2011 Constitution. Likewise, this reform aims to make national heritage a generator of wealth and jobs and to mobilize the necessary financing through public-private partnerships, particularly with regard to the cultural and creative industries and there archaeological researchhe said.
Mr. Bensaïd further noted that this bill aims to integrate new internationally recognized concepts concerning the cultural heritage and to strengthen the provisions stipulated in Law No. 22.80 relating to the conservation of historical monuments and sites, inscriptions, objects of art and antiquities. It is also a question of ensuring the adequacy of the national legal framework linked to the protection, promotion and transfer of national cultural heritage with international standards in line with the Kingdom’s international commitments. In this context, he recalled the message that His Majesty King Mohammed VI had addressed to the participants in the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage which was held on November 28, 2022 in Rabat, adding that the Royal message referred to the threats weighing on the intangible cultural heritage national.
The minister noted that the message from His Majesty the King indicated that since the entry into force of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, the objective of protecting, developing and promoting this heritage has become a major issue in relations international. It necessarily follows that any attempt to illicit appropriation of the cultural and civilizational heritage of another country must be combatted, said the minister, still quoting the Royal message. In the same vein, Mr. Bensaïd pointed out that Morocco, faithful to its commitment to intangible cultural heritage, plays a leading role in ensuring its protection. It is doing this both through a relevant strengthening of its legal arsenal and through its efficient support for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, as highlighted in HM the King’s message. .
Referring to the attempt to register the Moroccan caftan and zellige in the name of another country with UNESCO, the minister stressed the need to include provisions relating to the protection of this type of cultural heritage and its promotion. to fill the legal void in the texts in force and implement Morocco’s commitments under the international conventions it has ratified, in particular the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of tangible heritage. He underlined that among the developments brought about by this bill was the new definition of national cultural heritage and its categories, specifying that this definition was now compatible with the international conventions ratified by the Kingdom, as well as with the most important at the international level in this area, while taking into account the prerogatives of all ministerial departments.
Furthermore, Mr. Bensaïd indicated that this bill gave pride of place to underwater and geological cultural heritage and to historical collections which are important, notably due to their architectural character, as well as to human treasures. living organisms that enable the transfer of knowledge and skills between generations. He also discusses the issue of regulating the export of works of art, as well as the introduction of new concepts linked to the development of heritage management plans.
The bill provides for severe sanctions to combat offenses and strengthen the legal protection of cultural heritage. It also defines the procedures for preserving this heritage, in particular through its inscription on the World Heritage List. This is, according to the minister, a protective measure based on the responsibility shared between the owners of these objects and the administration with a view to preserving them and registering them in the National Inventory Register.
