The Arab Capital of Culture is an initiative taken by the

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

under the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Cultural Capitals Program to promote and celebrate

Arab culture Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. The various religions the Arab ...

and encourage cooperation in the Arab region.

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Notes

}), officially simply Palestine, by the

Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...

(PLO) in 1988, and again by the

Palestinian Legislative Council The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is the unicameral legislature of the Palestinian Authority, elected by the Palestinian residents of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It currently comprises 132 members, e ...

in May 2002. Palestine is a member of the

and then Secretary-General

Amr Moussa Amr Moussa ( ar, عمرو موسى, , Amr Muhammad Moussa; born 3 October 1936) is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states, from 1 June 2001 to 1 July 2011 ...

supported the Arab ministers' decision that Jerusalem be designated the Arab Capital of Culture for 2009. The city's final status awaits the outcome of future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (se
"Negotiating Jerusalem", University of Maryland
and

Positions on Jerusalem The status of Jerusalem is disputed in both international law and diplomatic practice, with both the Israelis and Palestinians claiming Jerusalem as their capital city.Moshe Hirsch, Deborah Housen-Couriel, Ruth Lapidoth''Whither Jerusalem?: Pro ...

for more information). In the context of the Arab Capital of Culture, the organising committee is Palestinian and the Israeli authorities have discouraged the holding of events in Jerusalem itself.

References

External links

Algiers Arab Capital of Culture 2007 - Official websiteDamascus Arab Capital of Culture 2008 - Official websiteAl-Quds Arab Capital of Culture 2009 - Official websiteManama Arab Capital of Culture 2012 - Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arab Capital Of Culture UNESCO Arab culture

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See also

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References

External links