Al Ain, October 03: The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has awarded the first degree Independence Order to Director-General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura, to mark the end of his tenure and in appreciation of his efforts in serving the world culture and heritage.
Shaikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, decorated the order on Matsuura, when he received the latter at his palace in Al Ain on Friday. Shaikh Hamed congratulated Matsuura and wished him further successes in future functions.
He welcomed him, citing the contributions of UNESCO to the world culture and heritage. Meanwhile, the UAE has offered $2million to UNESCO and African countries to safeguard the heritage projects.
This was announced at the ceremony held by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage at Emirates Palace to mark the conclusion of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO, in the presence of Matsuura.
–Agencies