The 18th edition of Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) will host a scientific conference focusing on ‘The Future of Falconry,’ through a series of specialised workshops.
The conference will celebrate the passage of more than 10 years since falconry received the most significant global recognition of its legitimacy and cultural richness, thanks to its inscription in the November 2010 Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Held in cooperation with UNESCO, the conference is organised by the Emirates Falconers’ Club and The International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF), which includes in its membership 110 falconry clubs and institutions representing 90 countries, with a total of over 75,000 falconers around the world.
The ADIHEX will be held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club, from 27th September to 3rd October at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). It will be organised by the Emirates Falconers Club, under the slogan ‘Sustainability and Heritage… A Reborn Aspiration.’ Majid Ali Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of ADIHEX, Secretary-General of the Emirates Falconers’ Club and President of the IAF, said that the informational workshops that make up the conference accompanying the exhibition represent an important step to enhance the capabilities of the countries participating in the falconry registration file at UNESCO, as well as for all falconry societies around the world alike.
He pointed out that the UAE is one of the first members of the IAF through the membership of the Emirates Falconers’ Club.
In appreciation of its significant and effective role in preserving human heritage and sustainable hunting, which in turn led to registering it in UNESCO and granting it the legality of the practice, the founder of the Emirates Falconers Club, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was chosen as Honorary President of IAF in 2017.
Gary Timbrell, the CEO of the IAF, said that the association has been attending ADIHEX since 2004, and witnessed remarkable development and broad growth over the past years.
He pointed out that, concurrently, and during the same period, The International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF) also grew and developed to include the membership of 90 countries in the year 2021, compared to 35 countries in 2004. Timbrell attributed this success mainly to the keenness of the Association’s permanent presence in the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) with the encouragement of the Emirates Falconers Club.
As for this year’s conference, Timbrell revealed that officials and volunteers from the IAF from 20 countries, will supervise the dialogue platforms and run specialised workshops, including: ‘Women in Falconry’, ‘How to benefit from the means of communication’, ‘Protecting Falconry in North Africa (Al Maghreb)’ and ‘Protecting Falconry in the Levant (Bilad El- Cham).’ The results of all these workshops will be linked in a final seminar under the title ‘The Future of Falconry,’ through which everyone who wishes to participate in the exhibition will be encouraged to take an important and effective role in this regard.
