[ecr]

Tasked by the Prime Minister, Nadir Larbaoui, the Minister of Culture and Arts set up, at the Moufdi-Zakaria Palace of Culture, the National Multisectoral Commission responsible for “establishing a roadmap for the protection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage against attempts of illegal usurpation and appropriation of this part of the national memory which is an integral part of national security.”

This commission “will work, through the main lines of the strategy  that will be soon implemented, on updating the legal framework,” said Mouloudji, emphasizing that “the updated draft of law 98-04 relating to the protection of cultural heritage is almost ready.”

“We will reach a new law in line with the legislative norms as the aforementioned text has been modified at 50%, ” she said, mentioning “several executive decrees for the protection of cultural heritage and goods, the creation of protected sectors, and the recent request for the classification of 45 archaeological and historical sites.”

The commission includes several ministerial sectors, including Foreign Affairs, Education, Higher Education, Communication and Tourism, the Supreme Council of Youth (CSJ), the National Observatory of Civil Society (ONSC), as well as security and military bodies.

The commission “will endeavour to thwart all attempts of usurpation and illegal appropriation of our cultural heritage and will work to recover it through international cooperation, Algeria's adherence to international conventions to which it has not yet joined , and the close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen the role of the national community abroad in promoting Algerian cultural heritage during religious and national festivals and cultural events,' the minister emphasized,” said the minister.[/ecr]