UNESCO: Morocco’s victory over Algeria announced

The final verdict is expected during the session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding that opens this Sunday in India. This deadline concretizes the work carried out jointly by the Ministry of Culture and the Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom. The document presented defends the authenticity of this traditional garment as a specifically Moroccan cultural element.

However, this procedure has been the subject of diplomatic tensions. Algeria has tried to intervene by seeking to modify previously registered files, without a direct link to the garment concerned. These maneuvers have not borne fruit. The committee considers the caftan as an authentic element, rejecting the qualification of shared heritage. The outcome of the process is therefore considered to be decided in favor of Morocco.

This approach is part of a global policy of protecting the national heritage, reinforced by a recent agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization. With UNESCO’s rules limiting registrations to one element per country every two years, Rabat has already planned the next steps of its cultural agenda. The Kingdom is preparing the file for the zellige, whose official candidacy is scheduled for the year 2027.