Cultural heritage has always been a vital part of humanity. It reflects the development of human societies throughout history, providing humans with invaluable legacy and spiritual values from their ancestors. Cultural heritage has provided a source of tourism for many countries, both developing and developed.

The cultural heritage has not only great economic value, but also spiritual and educational functions. Physical heritage assets, such as monuments and architectural buildings, sculptures, paintings, and archaeological sites, known as tangible Cultural heritage, serve human social activities. Even small heritage artefacts can be significant sources for education.

Despite its paramount importance, cultural heritage is often under both natural and anthropogenic threats from human conflicts, urbanization, deterioration, disaster, tourism, mismanagement, etc. Therefore, significant effort has been put on the preservation of cultural heritage, including documentation, restoration, and reconstruction of artefacts, monuments, and sites. However, there are still many challenges when it comes to heritage conservation, including technical, practical, and political issues. This is especially the case in developing countries where the value of heritage is often underestimated and resources to safeguard it are limited.

RASIT supports the development of web- and mobile-based platforms, that aim to document and share cultural heritage worldwide. Such platforms encourage youth to get engaged with cultural heritage in many ways, including educating others about their heritage and culture, and respecting the people history and what they value. It further supports socio-economic development programs through tourism.

Combining performing arts with more traditional dialogue methods can help transform and influence political discourse and generate more conciliatory messages around cultural identities, shared cultural values and whether art can play a role in peace. Addressing stereotypes can help to build tolerance, as people rediscover the ‘human’ face of other societies.

The Dean of RASIT, HRH Prince Adnan El-Hashemite said: “Art is unique we experience it through the senses, on a bodily and emotional levels. Performing arts, including music, traditional dance, and different creative art forms move beyond discussion and cognitive analysis. They can deeply affect individuals and groups, de-centring people from the world view and polarized standpoints that are common to conflict.”

Since 1993, RASIT has been working with its fellow artists on arts-based Peacebuilding approaches social and economic sustainable development. By utilizing the arts and creativity as a force for social transformation, RASIT has been celebrating individual ethnic cultural identities, something direct dialogue is less able to do, by organizing several concerts and events.

An example of RASIT’s Performing Arts for Peace was introducing Middle Eastern Artist and their music to the Westen World. Concerts and tours for Haj Yunus of Morocco, Nasser Shamma and Ahmad Mukhtar of Iraq, Kulna Sawa Group of Syria, Marcel Khalifa of Lebanon, and many more, were well received by audience and connected people through the creative souls.

In several regions of the world, peace remains fragile and tenuous. Poverty and conflict put human security at risk and endanger human dignity, social justice, and economic development. Helping to preserve peace in all its dimensions is an abiding challenge for the international community. especially in conditions of globalization.

The community of nations must strive for better and more equitable ways of addressing these multiple challenges. This quest must be based on universally shared values while safeguarding the diversity of individuals, cultures and beliefs, and it must be targeted at the urgent needs of the disadvantaged and excluded groups or geographical regions. Solidly anchored in human rights and fundamental equality, dialogue is the key to this quest, because dialogue alone can lead to long-term understanding, reconciliation, and peace.

RASIT’s point of view that civilizations or cultures do not have dialogue, only individuals can engage in dialogue. RASIT’s approach for Civilization's Dialogue is to bring people together, recognize the existence of the other, respect the differences, and have a starting point for Dialogue: Peace. RASIT has organized a series of workshops, conferences and other events that have contributed to the Dialogue among Civilizations, with particular emphasis on a scientific exploration of the dialogue itself.

Through the events, RASIT has brought together persons from diverse cultural, religious, and professionals backgrounds for in-depth discussions aimed at developing a better understanding of what is necessary to realize a meaningful dialogue among civilizations.

Some of the key issues discussed were: Why is it necessary to engage in a Dialogue of Civilizations? What effect could an increased dialogue have on the substance and process of international relations? In which ways does multicultural society contribute to - or obstruct - dialogue among civilizations? Could there be any such thing as a global ethos, a common overarching human value system that transcends cultural and civilizational differences? These questions were among many issues addressed throughout RASIT’s events on the Dialogue on Civilizations.

Think Science .. Think Peace, a global campaign founded by RASIT's Executive Director HRH Princess Dr. Nisreen El-Hashemite, aims to bring people together who share a passion for Science-Based Solutions for world’s challenges Sustainable Development. In her words, the Princess described the campaign:“In my different roles and positions, I have learned the importance of a neutral interlocutor that bridges different interests and views, cultures and social strata and sectors in society and the crucial role of science to provide the knowledge and tools for informed decision-making. All roles are equally important and should be acknowledged and combined into effective action partnerships.... I am a geneticist, I work on genes, and that is why I like wearing jeans, the traditional workman’s clothing that has conquered all levels in society. Therefore, I would like to invite you to join me by wearing your jeans, as a symbol of solidarity to promote my message to the world: Think Science, Think Peace.”

How art and science connect with and inspire each other is the theme of RASIT’s Open Dialogue between Arts and Science. The fruitful Dialogue has been established in 1998 to ensure a true exchange of ideas between artists and scientists. It further aims to explore the relationship between art and science and gain a deeper understanding of how creativity can bridge the two worlds.

RASIT has been organizing a series of dialogues between famous artists, curators, and scientists on the profound connections between the two disciplines.