A Note Before We Begin

Every visit to a website leaves traces. Animae Mundi exists in part to ask what kind of traces we leave — in the world, in culture, in one another. We apply the same question to our digital presence.

This Cookie Policy explains clearly and honestly what cookies we use on our website at www.animaemundi.com, why we use them, and what choices you have. We use cookies only where they serve a genuine purpose, and we collect only what we need. Nothing more.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device — your computer, tablet, or mobile phone — when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device on subsequent visits and to remember certain information about your preferences or behaviour.

Cookies are not programs. They cannot run code, carry viruses, or access other files on your device. They are simply records — traces of a visit, held temporarily or over a longer period depending on their type and purpose.

Session cookies exist only for the duration of your visit and are deleted when you close your browser.

Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time, or until you delete them, and are activated each time you return to the website.

First-party cookies are set directly by Animae Mundi.

Third-party cookies are set by external service providers whose tools are embedded in our website. We describe any such providers below.

2. The Cookies We Use

We use three categories of cookies on the Animae Mundi website. Below we describe each category, its purpose, and whether your consent is required.

2.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

Consent required: No — these cookies are essential and cannot be disabled.

These cookies are the foundation upon which the website functions. Without them, core features — including secure form submissions, page navigation, and the storage of your own cookie preferences — would not work.

We do not use strictly necessary cookies to collect information about you for any purpose beyond what is required to operate the site. They carry no advertising or tracking function.

Cookie name / type

Purpose

Duration

Cookie consent preference

Stores your cookie choices so we do not ask again on your next visit

12 months

Session identifier

Maintains your session as you navigate between pages

Session (deleted on browser close)

Form security token

Protects Fellowship application and event registration forms against fraudulent submissions (CSRF protection)

Session

2.2 Analytics Cookies

Consent required: Yes — these cookies are only placed with your permission.

We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors engage with our website — which pages are most read, how long people spend with our essays and publications, and how they navigate between sections. This helps us improve the quality of our content and the accessibility of our programs.

All analytics data is processed in aggregate and anonymous form. We do not use it to identify you personally or to build any profile about you. We do not share it with third parties for their own purposes.

Cookie name / type

Provider

Purpose

Duration

Analytics identifier

Privacy-respecting analytics platform

Counts unique visits and page views; tracks navigation paths in anonymous aggregate form

13 months

Session analytics

Privacy-respecting analytics platform

Records anonymous session behaviour during a single visit

Session

We select analytics providers who are committed to privacy-first principles — platforms that do not use visitor data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond providing us with aggregated usage reports.

If you decline analytics cookies, your visit will not be counted and your navigation will not be recorded. The website will continue to function fully.

2.3 Preferences and Functionality Cookies

Consent required: Yes — these cookies are only placed with your permission.

Preferences cookies remember choices you have made on previous visits to improve your experience when you return. They do not track you across other websites and carry no advertising or profiling function.

Cookie name / type

Purpose

Duration

Language preference

Remembers your language or display setting

12 months

Dismissed notice

Records whether you have previously dismissed an informational notice so it is not shown again

3 months

Partial form data

Temporarily retains information entered in a form you did not complete, so you can continue on your next visit

7 days

If you decline preferences cookies, the website will still work fully. You may simply be asked for certain preferences again on return visits.

3. What We Do Not Use Cookies For

We want to be explicit about this.

We do not use cookies to:

• Serve advertising of any kind, on or off this website

• Build profiles about you for commercial, political, or any other purposes

• Track your behaviour across other websites

• Share your data with advertising networks, data brokers, or social media platforms for their own use

• Identify you personally through your browsing behaviour

Animae Mundi does not carry advertising. It never will.

4. Your Choices and How to Exercise Them

4.1 Through Our Cookie Preferences Panel

When you first visit our website, a cookie banner will invite you to make a choice about non-essential cookies. You can accept all, reject all non-essential cookies, or manage your preferences category by category.

You can update your choices at any time by clicking the Cookie settings link in the footer of any page on our website. Your updated preferences will take effect immediately.

4.2 Through Your Browser

You can also manage cookies directly through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View the cookies stored on your device

• Block all cookies, or block cookies from specific websites

• Delete cookies that have already been stored

The steps to do this vary depending on the browser you use. You will find instructions in your browser’s help section or at the following resources:

• Google Chrome: chrome://settings/cookies

• Mozilla Firefox: about:preferences#privacy

• Safari: Preferences → Privacy

• Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions

Please note that blocking or deleting strictly necessary cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of the website, including the submission of Fellowship applications and event registration forms.

4.3 Opt-Out Tools

If you wish to opt out of analytics tracking specifically, most privacy-respecting analytics platforms also offer a browser-level opt-out. Details are available from the respective provider. We will specify the provider and opt-out mechanism on this page once our analytics infrastructure is confirmed.

5. Cookie Consent and the Law

Animae Mundi is established in the Ajman Free Zone, United Arab Emirates, and complies with the applicable legal framework governing cookies and electronic communications, including:

• Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL), under which analytics and preference cookies constitute the processing of personal data and require a lawful basis — in most cases, your freely given, informed, and specific consent

• Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combatting Cybercrimes, which governs unauthorised access to devices and electronic systems

• Applicable guidance issued by the UAE Data Office

Where we engage with visitors from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we also apply the standards of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive, under which non-essential cookies require prior, freely given, informed, and specific consent. We apply this standard to all visitors globally as a matter of principle.

Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent under any applicable framework, as they are essential to the operation of the website you have chosen to visit. All other cookies require your consent before they are placed, and that consent can be withdrawn at any time.

6. Cookies and Personal Data

Where cookies collect or process information that could be used to identify you — directly or indirectly — that information constitutes personal data and is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Please read it in conjunction with this Cookie Policy for a complete picture of how we handle your information.

7. Updates to This Policy

The digital landscape evolves. Our website evolves with it. We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, the technologies we deploy, or the legal framework we operate within.

When we make updates, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will also refresh the cookie consent banner so that returning visitors are invited to review and reconfirm their preferences.

8. Contact

If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, about the cookies we use, or about how to exercise your rights, please reach out.

Nessrine Ferhat, Founder Animae Mundi nessrine@animaemundi.com www.animaemundi.com

Animae Mundi — cultivating the soul of the world

This Cookie Policy was last reviewed and updated in April 2026.