INA - BAGHDAD

Iraqi Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris, Asaad Turki Sawari, stressed on Monday the importance of launching the Baghdad Heritage Digitization project.

Sawari continued to support and develop Iraqi cultural and documentary heritage, as well as open files of other sectors of the organization in Iraq within the framework of enhancing Iraqi cultural presence at the international level, said the ambassador's media office in a statement - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

The ambassador, who recently assumed his duties in Paris as a representative of Iraq and a member of the UNESCO Executive Council for the first time in Iraq's history, submitted "important requests to the council that reflect the reality of accelerating granting Iraq its privileges that it has lost for a long time."

Sawari held a series of intensive meetings with ambassadors of international missions to UNESCO in Paris, as well as senior officials in the international organization, where he discussed several prominent topics that focused on several issues, "the most important of which are protecting cultural heritage and documenting Iraq's historical legacy, artificial intelligence and freedom of expression, protecting scholars and activating their rights according to international agreements, in addition to the education files and building strategic partnerships with member states."

"Protecting documentary and cultural heritage and listing the many historical sites that Iraq possesses across its diverse geography is one of the most prominent goals of the Iraqi mission to UNESCO," he pointed out.

The Iraqi ambassador stressed "the importance of launching the Baghdad Heritage Digitization project, which aims to convert cultural and heritage documents into digital formats to preserve them and ensure their access to future generations, using the latest digital preservation technologies."

Sawari stressed "the importance of cooperation with UNESCO member states to include Daesh crimes in Iraq on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register," noting that "Iraq faces major challenges in preserving its cultural heritage in light of global changes."

He called for "focusing on artificial intelligence and smart automation programs and benefiting from international programs led by UNESCO that focus on these vital sectors."