May 18 is the International Museum Day. It is commemorated in a forum at the Mohamed Ali Palace in Manial, Cairo.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, UNESCO’s Cairo Office and the International Commission of Museums (ICOM) Egypt organised the event on this year’s theme ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well-being’.

SCA Secretary General Mostafa Waziry said that the occasion is a unique moment for the international museum community and for those interested in other cultures.

“Last year, more than 37,000 museums in 185 countries were represented at the event, which indicates growing awareness of the importance of this day and of the role of museums in society,” Waziry said in his opening speech.

“It is no exaggeration to say that museums have the power to change the world. They are places of discovery that can teach us about the past and open our minds to new ideas for the future,” Waziry added.

Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples, he said.

“In the past years, the Egyptian state, represented by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has paid considerable attention to museums and antiquities as they represent soft power and the historical and cultural depth upon which the government relies in its current renaissance,” he added.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Fustat, the Sharm el-Sheikh Museum and the Kafr el-Sheikh Museum are among many newly-opened museums, in addition to development of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, downtown Cairo, the Museum of Islamic Art, the Graeco-Roman Museum in Alexandria and the Imhotep Museum in Saqqara.

Osama Abdel-Warth, head of the Egyptian National Committee of the ICOM, said that the event discussed the 1970 Convention on Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property Illicitly, with the participation of UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972 with the participation of UNESCO and the International Committee for Egyptian Antiquities.

The event also tackled the 2001 agreement to protect the underwater cultural heritage with the participation of the Alexandria Centre for Underwater Heritage, and the 2003 agreement to protect the intangible cultural heritage with the participation of UNESCO, ICOM, the Museum of Folklore and the Egyptian Ministry of Culture.

Regional Director of UNESCO Cairo Office Nuria Sanz and Belgian Ambassador François Cornet attended the forum.

The first International Museum Day was in 1977.