ABU DHABI - President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh 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 Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The law stipulates that the newly established body will be a general authority based in Abu Dhabi. It will be a corporate body and a fully independent financial and administrative entity with full legal competence to assume its activities.
The objectives of the authority include sponsoring intellectual and artistic activities as well as preserving cultural heritage of the emirate, including:
- Promoting Abu Dhabi’s cultural heritage.
- Drawing up cultural policies, plans and programs 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.
- Organizing exhibitions, and 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 organizing symposiums, seminars and intellectual, scientific and art gatherings.
- Developing human and cultural resources in the fields of documentation, classification, archiving and preservation of cultural heritage.
- Providing support and assistance to bodies working in the field of the preservation, management and promotion of cultural heritage, and recommending laws and regulations to protect, promote and preserve cultural heritage.
- Managing the National Library in such a way so as to enrich and promote intellectual, artistic and scientific activities in Abu Dhabi.
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.