Iraqi culture ministry opens studies and research centre

Constructions for the studies and research centre The Iraqi ministry of culture has announced the opening of  a studies and research centre, indicating that it has been  founded to prepare studies and strategies for the establishment of an Iraqi national cultural dialogue to promote a unified atmosphere of tolerance.
The ministry said in a statement issued Wednesday, that under-secretaries Taher Nasser Hamoud and Fawzi Atrushi have opened the studies and research centre  headquarters in the presence of cultural affairs adviser Hamid al-Rawi and director-general of the fine arts department, Gamal Atabi together with a representative of the general inspector’s office and director of the information office and spokesman of the ministry, Abdul-Qader al-Jumaili.
The statement, quoting the director of the centre, Ali Owaid said it would place" a high value on  the cultural and intellectual heritage of Iraq  throughout history."
Owaid added that the objectives of the centre were to support the ministry, its departments and cultural projects through the provision of studies and scientific and cultural research,  and seek "creative communication between the ministry and multiple parties in the community, especially those interested in cultural affairs."
The cultural centre also aims to cement dialogue between different cultures, reflecting the unity of Mesopotamia’s culture, and to establish an Iraqi national  and cultural dialogue to create an atmosphere of tolerance.
The most important objectives of the centre according to its director, is to set up a comprehensive database which would provide a reference for researchers and scholars inside and outside Iraq.  "We will also develop scientific studies for human resource management in the ministry’s departments and will set evaluations for employees of the ministry according to international standards.”
Owaid also mentioned  that the centre has prepared a study about  Iraqi writers and carried out a poll to discover the most popular writers and the results ranked Iraqi sociologists Raaed Ali Wardi and Kamal al-Haidari joint first.
Last year UNESCO selected  Baghdad to be the capital of Arabian culture for 2013. The ministry of culture announced on February 13, 2012 the results of a logo competition for Baghdad as the Capital of Arabian Culture 2013, choosing the work of a teacher in Fine Arts at Baghdad University.