On behalf of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, Hamed bin Mohammad Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture participated today in the 22nd Conference of Arab Culture Ministers, organized by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and hosted in the United Arab Emirates on 19-20 December. In a speech on behalf of the Minister of Culture, the Deputy Minister of Culture thanked Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth and session president, for hosting the event, and expressed the Kingdom's appreciation for the efforts of the ALECSO delegation, led by the Director-General, for organizing the conference. He further commended the member states' commitment to continuing the cultural discussion within the organization's framework, as well as the efforts of the task force charged with reviewing and updating the comprehensive plan for Arab culture. He expressed pride in the Kingdom's leadership role in the organization's Executive Council and hopes for its contribution to achieving shared strategic objectives. During his speech, the Deputy Minister of Culture said, "Culture is an essential component of Saudi Vision 2030. The Kingdom is committed to cooperating with ALECSO and member states to support cultural and creative industries and enhance the role of culture in achieving sustainable development goals." He conveyed the Kingdom's keenness to cooperate with member states in all efforts to preserve knowledge, skills and practices related to heritage, and to support education, training, and research institutions, as well as their international counterparts, especially in light of the Kingdom's election as vice-chair to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. "We value the efforts of the team charged with the five-year plan for Arab intangible heritage," he added, congratulating those present for the success of joint efforts to register Arabic Calligraphy on the UNESCO list for Intangible Cultural Heritage. He also declared the Kingdom's pleasure to welcome member states to the next Conference of Arab Culture Ministers, which will be hosted in Saudi Arabia. The conference addressed various aspects of the cultural reality in the Arab world, including heritage and the Arabic language, the need to unify Arab efforts in the development of cultural and creative industries, and the importance of international cooperation, especially in the inscription of the region's intangible cultural heritage on the UNESCO registry.
