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The jury of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young selects the winning projects of the second cycle "2021-2022"
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Award-winning projects will be announced on a special ceremony to be held in early June in Sharjah

Sharjah - United Arab Emirates, May 13, 2022 - Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the Regional Office for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Arab States (ICCROM - Sharjah) announced the members of the jury committee for the second cycle of the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young 2021-2022.
The award is the first regional competition of its kind that focuses on heritage and sustainable development and primarily targets the youths in the Arab region. The award was launched earlier by the ICCROM-Sharjah, in cooperation with the National Commissions for UNESCO in the Arab Region, under the title “Our heritage brings us together”.
The jury included four distinguished members from the Arab region, representing the main categories of the award: drawing, folkloric dance, awareness film, and photography.
The jury met at the end of last April, and reviewed all projects submitted for the award and selected the winners.
This cycle, the award witnessed wide participation by many individuals, schools, relevant cultural and educational institutions from the Arab region, in particular from Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Egypt and Jordan.
The list of Jury members of the current cycle includes:
Alya Burhima is the manager of Museums Development and Design Department at Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA), where she works with a team of professional designers to reflect Sharjah’s rich heritage through designing exhibits and facilities that meets today’s communities’ needs across sixteen museums.
She completed her Master’s degree with distinction in Museum Studies in 2014 from Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, and holds a BA in Art and Design.
Sharifa Nofa Bint Nasser has a BA in Archaeology from the University of Jordan, and MA in Public Archaeology from London University. She started her career as a field archaeologist and then joined the Jordan Tourism Board as in-house archaeologist for 8 years.
She also held several important positions in the fields of tourism and cultural heritage in Jordan. Currently, Nofa is the President of Jordan Friends of Archaeology and Heritage Society for five consecutive board cycles along with being a freelance consultant in the cultural tourism sector.
Rima Keirouz Kreidi she is a landscape architect, interior engineer and lecturer at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at the Lebanese University. She also holds the position of President of the Chloe Maria Kreidi Association, a non-profit association concerned with children.
The most important objectives of the association are: to contribute to the educational and cultural development of schoolchildren; organize and prepare technical projects and workshops that seek to introduce the heritage and promote the importance of its preservation among the younger generations; respect the fundamental rights of children; providing social assistance to children, especially orphans, without racial or religious discrimination.
Dr. Zaki Aslan is Director of the Regional Office for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Arab States (ICCROM - Sharjah) since 2003. He previously worked as a consultant to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "UNESCO", the European Union and ICCROM. Dr. Aslan received a Ph.D. in heritage management and preservation from the University College of London in the United Kingdom (2000), a Master’s degree in Applied Science specializing in the conservation of the built environment from the University of Montreal in Canada (1991), and a Bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1988.
"Following the great success achieved by the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young in its first cycle organised two years ago, the second cycle witnessed a broad participation by individuals and cultural and educational institutions concerned with cultural heritage”, said Dr. Zaki Aslan on this occasion.
“This is an important reference indicating the increased interest in the competition and the expansion of its spread to reach its target groups in the Arab world, thus achieving its main goal of raising awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage, in all its forms, at the level of young people at schools and the younger generations in the Arab region”, he added.
"The award-winning projects will be announced during a special ceremony to be held on the 2nd of June in Sharjah, under the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
On this occasion the Regional Office for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Arab States (ICCROM - Sharjah) thanks all the members of the jury, who enriched this award, reviewed the proposed projects, and selected the winner”, Dr. Aslan concluded.
The Regional Office for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage in the Arab States (ICCROM-Sharjah) launched the Arab Cultural Heritage Award for the Young for the first time in 2020, with the aim of raising awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the Arab region; spreading the culture of preserving heritage through art; urging students to conducting visits to archaeological sites; and translating their ideas about the concept of sustainable development and how to apply and enhance it through the arts.
Cultural heritage can be understood as a resource inherited from the past in all its forms and facets, whether tangible such as buildings, monuments, books, archaeological sites, etc, or intangible such as practices, languages, oral traditions, digital art, animation, video, etc.
Heritage ensures the continuity of a nation's identity and balances the past, present and future. Hence, it is important to preserve heritage as a community responsibility and a priority for its role in building a generation connected to its roots and ethics.
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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