The member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has elected the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, for the first time, during the 8th General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage being held in Paris. In presence of representatives of 178 countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's delegation to the meeting was headed by Prince Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al Muqrin, the Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the UNESCO. Based on this election, the Kingdom gained global precedence, in which only a few countries shared, due to its membership in three basic committees at UNESCO, including the Executive Council, the World Heritage Committee and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee. For his part, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture and Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, congratulated the wise leadership and homeland on this occasion, affirming that this event reflects the international community's confidence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's civilized humanitarian project which supports the local and international cultural projects. Prince Badr highlighted the great and unlimited support provided by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, to the sectors of culture, heritage and arts in the Kingdom. The Minister of Culture disclosed that the Kingdom's membership in three basic committees at UNESCO reflects the Saudi leading presence in the fields of science, culture and arts in the world and asserts the comprehensive renaissance of the Saudi culture in light of the Kingdom Vision 2030. "The Kingdom enjoys an enormous stock of intangible cultural heritage in various villages, cities and regions. We will work in the Ministry of Culture through the Heritage Authority to preserve and develop this rich national heritage and support practitioners of it in all their specialties," he said.
