The Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan, who participated in Abu Dhabi, at the World Conference on Cultural and Artistic Education, met with the Minister of Culture of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi, during which a series of joint cultural projects were discussed, in the field of heritage restoration. According to the minister: "The agenda of the discussions was very consistent. We discussed joint cultural projects, exchanges of experts in the field of restoration and interventions in heritage sites, expertise for training in cultural education. We also discussed the excellent relations between the two countries and the prospects for strengthening cooperation in the field of culture on topics from the UNESCO agenda and from the international agenda".
The Romanian Minister of Culture met with the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the agenda of the meeting the importance of collaboration between Education and Culture, especially in the application of practical solutions for pooling resources to outline programs that lead to increased access and cultural consumption. "An intelligent distribution and planning of cultural competences can make the existing infrastructure more efficient and can generate jobs for young graduates. Mrs. Azoulay welcomed the initiative and ensured support for this type of approach", added Raluca Turcan. The minister emphasized the commitment of the institution he leads to support cultural and educational programs that contribute to building a sustainable, fair and resilient future. The Romanian official mentioned the steps taken by our country in this regard: the revitalization of libraries, museums, theaters or other cultural institutions, the increase of fair access to education and culture, the institutionalization and valorization of cultural and artistic education ecosystems, including from the perspective of digital technologies, the importance of financing education and culture, foundation for cultural and educational policies in support of training the young generation, according to the Ministry of Culture.
The conference in the United Arab Emirates was the first UNESCO event dedicated to this theme, being organized in accordance with Decision 211/EX/39 of the UNESCO Executive Council, based on the program and budget established for the period 2022 - 2025. The purpose of the meeting was to adopt the UNESCO Framework for cultural and artistic education, in order to complete and update the documents Road Map for Arts Education (Lisbon, 2006) and the Seoul Agenda.