The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, represented by Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General and Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General H.E. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Arabian Media Network, which operates under the General Union of Arab Producers, represented in this agreement by H.E. Dirar Belhoul Al Falasi, Member of the UAE Federal National Council, regarding the “Arab Archive” initiative, which aims to digitize media archives and enrich Arab media content online.
The memorandum was signed in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Salameh, CEO of the Arabian Media Network and Secretary-General of the General Union of Arab Producers; Dr. Hala Gad, Minister Plenipotentiary in charge of digital transformation at the League of Arab States; Mr. Abdullah Saleh Al Hammadi, Head of the League of Arab States Delegation Section at the UAE Embassy in Cairo; and Eng. Mowaffaq Al Kilani, Assistant Secretary-General for Administration and Organization at the General Union of Arab Producers.
Dr. Mustafa Salameh, Secretary-General of the General Union of Arab Producers, the creator of the project and supervisor of its implementation, stated that the project had been prepared over two years in line with the agreed protocol, through coordination with media groups affiliated with the Union across Arab countries. He also explained that a high-level committee will be formed for the archiving project, bringing together leading academic and community experts interested in media affairs. The project is set to launch simultaneously in 18 Arab countries where media and production groups operate under the umbrella of the General Union of Arab Producers.
He added that the project focuses on digitizing cultural and media content across the Arab world. It aims to preserve and document Arab cultural and media heritage by converting paper, archival, visual, and audio materials into digital formats. The project includes videos, films, music, literature, history, folklore, manuscripts, magazines and newspapers, official documents, photos, drawings, maps, and other related materials.
He continued by saying that the main steps of the project include digitizing cultural and media materials, documenting them, storing and organizing them, and making them accessible online through dedicated databases. The project also relies on modern technologies for digitization, preservation, retrieval, classification, and storage.
Dr. Ibrahim Abou Zekry, President of the General Union of Arab Producers, stated that the union, with all its resources and capabilities, is fully committed to the success of this initiative, which he described as the first national media project of its kind in the Arab region. He explained that the project aims to digitize these materials to preserve and document them, making them accessible to the public and future generations, and serving as a valuable source for research, learning, and entertainment. He also noted that the project will help preserve Arab cultural and media heritage and share it on a global level.
He concluded by saying that the project is one of the most important cultural and media projects in the Arab world, and that it plays a major role in preserving Arab cultural and media heritage and sharing it globally.