KUWAIT, Feb 23 (KUNA) -- The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters announced that Kuwait has been selected to chair the first cycle of the Arab States region under the Global Craft Council, with Director General of the Sadu Cooperative Society Sheikha Beebee Dajeej Al-Jaber Al-Sabah appointed as Regional Director. The appointment reflects international confidence in Kuwait's leadership role in supporting crafts, preserving living heritage, and enhancing their presence within the global creative economy.
According to the council's statement to KUNA, the decision was made through an official resolution issued by the Global Craft Council during its Board of Directors and General Assembly meetings held in Kuwait this February, on the sidelines of the Global Craft Forum. The resolution approved the restructuring of regions and the establishment of an independent Arab States region alongside Asia and Oceania regions to strengthen governance, regional representation, and program effectiveness.
The council noted that this appointment underscores Kuwait's regional standing as a hub for cultural dialogue and international cooperation in the craft sector, reinforcing the institutional dimension of crafts within developmental policies.
The statement also highlighted the forum's executive recommendations adopted under the "Kuwait Declaration," emphasizing the integration of crafts into national creative economy and sustainable development policies as a dynamic productive sector.
The recommendations called for empowering artisans, ensuring their professional and economic dignity, including social protection and intellectual property rights, developing fair markets, and creating equitable value chains with transparency and fair pricing.
They also included adopting clear ethical frameworks for digital and technological transformation, investing in education, knowledge transfer, long-term capacity building, and supporting crafts as environmentally sustainable and socially responsible solutions, including protecting livelihoods in times of crises and conflicts.
The Global Craft Council stressed the importance of enhancing multilateral partnerships among governments, institutions, civil society, and markets, moving from symbolic frameworks to actionable mechanisms that place artisans at the heart of development and ensure sustainable livelihoods within an inclusive creative economy.
The final statement emphasized that crafts are not merely traditional practices but knowledge and production systems capable of contributing to resilient economies, strengthening cultural identity, and achieving development based on human dignity and environmental sustainability.
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