The EUROMED HERITAGE Programme – a programme funded by the European Union – has officially invited Mr. Samir Gharib, Chairman of the National Organization for Urban Harmony to take part in a workshop held in Rabat, Morocco on 8th and 9th of December. The Workshop deals with the regulations concerning rehabilitation of historic towns and sectors.

Invitation Letter

Att. 1

In order to facilitate comparisons between countries, and inasmuch as is feasible; every participant was asked to present the state-of-the-art in his/her country concerning rehabilitation of historic towns. This contribution would be presented in a summary report (some 5 pages), and distributed among the participants before the workshop.

It was recommended to follow the scheme of a "background paper" hereunder, which corresponds to the main issues of the agenda.

To look into the Background Paper, Click here

Att. 2

To look into the Agenda, Click here

Att. 3

This summary report should help participants collect their national data, identify inherent strengths and weaknesses, in preparation for the debates during the workshop.

The contributions of each country’s state-of-the-art paved the way towards a comparative analysis and the identification of common issues and allowed participants to suggest solutions applicable to the different countries.

It was highly recommended that such a contribution highlight implementation processes, good practice and identification of major difficulties encountered in this field, as it would allow for suggestions to emerge in a shared manner during the workshop.

The workshop had a practical objective. The idea was to explore ways by which national legislations can be adapted to the major international conventions and guidelines, and elaborate jointly practical and concrete recommendations for the organisation of the relevant departments and for the decision making process.

The summary report was to be written in either English or French and circulated by email among all the participants.

The Contribution of the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH), presented by Mr. Samir GHARIB

Att. 4

The Contribution of the International Centre for the Study and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), presented by Mr. Zaki ASLAN

Att. 5

The Contribution of Getty Conservation Institute, Representing also the World Heritage Cities Organisation, presented by Mrs. Françoise DESCAMPS

Att. 6

The Contribution of the council of Europe, presented by Mr Mikhael DETHYSE

Att. 7

The workshop was attended by officials responsible to preserve the architectural heritage in the Mediterranean countries. One of the sessions was chaired by Mr. Samir Gharib and discussed the problems of preserving the architectural heritage experienced by most Arab countries, including the lack of financial resources, and conflicts of jurisdiction for the responsibility of preserving the heritage between local administrations in cities, provinces and the Ministry of Culture, as well as non-application of the law with regard to the preservation of heritage, in addition to the existence of slums in heritage areas and lack of awareness of the value and importance of this heritage, and the conflict between the personal interests and the need to preserve heritage buildings, such as the demolition of heritage buildings for the establishment of a modern high buildings.