Damascus-SANA
Volunteer work in Syria is a deeply rooted culture among its people and is classified by their habits and behavior. There are successful experiences of cooperation between voluntary and governmental bodies, which have resulted in projects and programs that have benefited many people, including community initiatives to advance and expand the cultivation of the Damascene rose and to market its products.
In this regard, the Syrian Trust for Development implements a set of programs in coordination and cooperation with the local community, which is reflected in the production of the rose and the preservation and strengthening of its identity by focusing on the integration and full participation of all segments of society in a way that enables it to transcend its borders to become a global product according to Reem Al Ibrahim from the Living Heritage Program in the Secretariat .
Al-Ibrahim indicated to SANA that the Municipality was one of the main actors in the process of listing the Damascene Rose in the List of Intangible Human Heritage at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO in cooperation with the local community and governmental and non-governmental agencies concerned with preserving the Damascene Rose, noting that the voluntary work of the Secretariat in the field of planting The Rose is based on the idea that each person is responsible and involved in this heritage, which is part of our culture.
Al-Ibrahim pointed out that the secretariat is training cadres of workers in this field by giving them a set of information regarding raising awareness of the mechanisms of listing and working mechanisms of living heritage in accordance with its commitments with UNESCO and how the objectives and items of the plan to preserve the Damascene Rose are implemented in cooperation with the local community as it is a plan patriotism.
Al-Ibrahim indicated that the secretariat has developed a national plan with the participation of all parties, and its goal is to preserve the Damascene rose and is implemented in 4 steps, including conducting an assessment survey for the areas of Damascene rose cultivation, land reclamation, increasing the cultivated areas, research, promotion, rural development and support for women working in the field of the rose. An area to be targeted with the cultivation of the Damascene Rose.
Al-Ibrahim indicated that, in cooperation with a group of organizations, ideas are being put forward to help the owners of the land where the rose is grown to obtain water in an economical and economical way that combats drought and lack of rain.
Among the active associations in this field is the Al-Marah Association for the Revival and Development of the Damascene Rose, where its president, Madian Al-Bitar, said, “The association’s goal is to increase the areas of land planted with the rose in the village,” noting that the number of cadres working in the field of rose conservation amounts to 240 volunteers whose mission is to provide agricultural guidance with regard to combating the disease. Agricultural pests to which the rose is exposed and to secure water to irrigate the cultivated lands to resist the drought that the village is exposed to.
Al-Bitar pointed out that the association focuses, through its work, on a set of steps and practices in cooperation with the local community, which is agriculture by securing medicines and requirements for rose cultivation and production by securing a number of distillation devices for extracting rose oil, which is the most expensive in the world, and the establishment of a series of workshops and training courses.
In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization included the element of the Damascene Rose and its associated traditional practices and crafts on the Organization's List of Intangible Human Heritage.
Muhannad Suleiman
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