The UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of St. Kitts and Nevis to collaborate in the culture and youth sectors. The two countries will foster cultural exchange through culture studies, language, literature, arts and heritage. They will also participate in each other’s cultural and youth events and share experiences on policies and legislation in the creative economy realm and contribute to the creative industries.
The MoU was signed by Her Excellency Noura Bint Mohammed al-Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, and His Excellency Jonel Powell, Minister of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The MoU cements the two countries’ cultural ties with special focus on antiquities, heritage, arts and libraries, and aims to expand their knowledge of national identity, their respective civilisations, culture and arts. It will foster greater cooperation in supporting cultural and creative industries and support young talent. The two parties will exchange experiences to facilitate the implementation of international agreements in the framework of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other relevant international MoUs related to monuments, heritage, arts, and libraries and direct cooperation in supporting the cultural and creative industries. It will also support young talents ratified by both parties and in accordance with the national legislations of their respective countries.
During the signing ceremony at the UAE Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai, H.E. Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi praised the efforts of St. Kitts and Nevis to attract innovators and investors in the cultural and creative fields. She noted that the UAE’s is facilitating creators and artists from around the world to come and work here by developing relevant legislation and regulations and providing logistical and strategic support to them. by fostering talent, the UAE aims to be a hub for incubators and the content industry.
Her Excellency stressed that the MoU will strengthen ties between the two countries and foster cooperation in the cultural and creative fields to bolster the knowledge economy in the two countries. It will also enhance opportunities to develop the cultural and creative industries, and support people to people contact between the two countries. It will also establish the values of coexistence, understanding and tolerance, and strengthen dialogue between people to forge stronger human connections.”
The MoU focuses on enhancing cooperation between relevant authorities in various cultural and youth fields through exchange programmes for officials in charge of culture, writers and intellectuals. It also encourages joint activities such as book fairs and cooperation in the field of technology giving free access to digital products. Exchange of books and publications, artistic exchange in cultural fields, and exchange of bibliographic information between the two countries is also covered in the MoU. In addition to these, the two countries will have access to each other’s audio-visual recordings showcasing heritage, music and arts. They will also exchange their expertise and experiences on methods of analysing and using big data in the cultural and youth fields.
The two countries are taking the necessary measures to ensure the protection of intellectual property rights, within the framework of this memorandum of understanding, in accordance with national legislation and international conventions ratified by the parties.
