In her address, Her Royal Highness highlighted the major achievements of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of Rabat’s Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2023 period.
Her Royal Highness emphasized the Foundation’s continued work with its national partners from the culture and national education sectors in primary and secondary schools to educate and raise awareness about the richness of cultural heritage and the importance of preserving it. This is done by designing educational tools that facilitate access to concepts of cultural heritage, according to a statement from the Foundation.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa further presented the Foundation’s innovative educational approaches, which are tailored to different geographical and historical contexts, such as the implementation of the "Je découvre mon Patrimoine" (I Discover My Heritage) program in the city of Taroudant.
Her Royal Highness reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to promoting international cooperation, highlighting the partnership with UNESCO, which recognizes the Foundation’s work in promoting and facilitating access to culture, art, and education within educational institutions.
HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa also underscored the Foundation’s involvement in encouraging research in cultural heritage sciences, strengthening expert networks, and raising public awareness of the importance of heritage.
Through its cultural mediation initiatives, the Foundation fosters a dynamic of heritage preservation and transmission, engaging professionals, institutions, civil society, and the general public.
The 2022-2023 period was rich in activities for the Foundation, in line with its missions of education, awareness-raising, and fostering synergy.
Regarding education, the Foundation continued implementing its two educational programs, "Je dessine mon Patrimoine" (I Draw My Heritage) and "Je découvre mon Patrimoine" (I Discover My Heritage), enhancing the presence of heritage in educational processes.
In the second edition of the "Je dessine mon Patrimoine" program, participants worked on the theme of "Heritage and Climate," while "Intangible Heritage at Home" was the theme of their artistic and literary works in the third edition. Students from participating primary schools benefited from guided tours led by heritage professionals and managers of Rabat’s world heritage sites.
As for the "Je découvre mon Patrimoine" program, its educational kit was updated with new activities, richly illustrated graphic content, and site and monument visits within a new pedagogical approach based on cultural and artistic education.
In terms of awareness-raising, the Foundation, through its "Digitalisation du Patrimoine" (Digitalization of Heritage) program, digitized the Qasbah of the Udayas and launched an exclusive virtual tour of the site.
The Foundation also organized the exhibition "Rabat Rugs: A True Art" and a traveling urban exhibition "Rabat: A World Heritage." These activities were complemented by podcasts aimed at documenting collective memory, notably the "Dis-moi Rabat" (Tell Me, Rabat) podcast.
Regarding fostering synergy, the Foundation organized five workshops, bringing together about thirty national and international experts to address various cultural heritage topics, including "Heritage Facing Climate Change," which took place during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
Her Royal Highness warmly thanked all the partners for their unwavering support and continued commitment to the initiatives led by the Foundation.
The Board of Directors approved the financial statements, following the auditor's opinion that the financial summaries are accurate and sincere and faithfully represent the results of operations for the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years.
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of Rabat’s Cultural Heritage was established by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to preserve the tangible, intangible, and landscape heritage of Rabat. Indeed, 'Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: A Shared Heritage', with its eight major historical sites, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, who chairs the Foundation, has initiated and defined an ambitious policy aimed at raising awareness among Rabat’s residents and visitors. The heritage of a city is only sustainably preserved when its population understands its value and forms an attachment to it.
The Foundation develops programs based on three key pillars—educating, raising awareness, and fostering synergy. As a powerful lever for inclusion and cohesion, Rabat’s heritage is a true driver of social, economic, and cultural development. The Foundation regularly organizes heritage discovery activities for the general public, particularly the youth, to create this emotional connection, which is key to respecting and preserving their heritage.
The Foundation’s programs target several audiences (the general public, professionals, institutions, private actors, and young people). In its educational programs, the Foundation provides educational kits, cultural heritage mediation platforms through the digitalization program, and organizes scientific workshops. Experts from all continents are invited to share, exchange, and advance the valuable cause of preserving cultural heritage in Morocco.
The work carried out with a partnership approach combines expertise and resources, uniting both institutional and public and private actors to affirm the importance of heritage protection in the Kingdom.