Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – December 7, 2022: Under the patronage of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and in cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), hosted the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers on, Wednesday (December 7, 2022) in the city of Riyadh. Ministers and officials from 20 Arab countries, as well as representatives of the League of Arab States and international and regional organisations were present at the event.
His Highness the Minister of Culture said: “This year’s session, centred around the main theme, ‘Culture for a Green Future,’ aims to make the cultural sector more sustainable. We seek to be a launchpad for global efforts that include culture in all its forms and extend it to cover all elements of its value chain.
His Highness added: “Employing culture towards a green future contributes to its consolidation in the global development debate, which is something that the Saudi leadership give their full attention to. The main theme of the conference, ‘Culture for a Green Future’, is also in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. Hence, the Kingdom supports collective efforts to enhance knowledge, skills, and practices related to making the cultural sector more sustainable and environmentally friendly.”
During the conference, the Arab Culture Ministers stressed the importance of giving new impetus to the role of culture in achieving sustainable development, while working to develop effective policies for sectors that provide added value in the collective efforts to shift towards a more creative and sustainable future.
Four memorandums of understanding (MOUs) were also signed to further strengthen cultural cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and other entities including ALECSO, ICESCO, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, and the Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication.
His Excellency Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science, valued in his speech the effective and vital role of the wise leadership of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for Pan-Arab dialogues and discussions in preparation for the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development.
Participants at the conference also discussed ways to benefit from the power of culture in raising awareness of the challenges posed by climate change and face the long-term, multifaceted crises associated with the dire consequences of global warming, loss of biodiversity, random urbanisation, and unsustainable development. Historically and cognitively, Arab culture derives its richness from its diversity, heritage, and the multiplicity of its geographical, historical, and linguistic roots. Thus, discussions also included examining the mechanisms for strengthening the cultural unity of the Arab nations by building multiple inclusive knowledge societies, enhancing the openness of Arab culture to other cultures of the world, strengthening ties and actively contributing to projects that value differences and diversity.
Participants also brought up several joint projects aimed at achieving more cultural integration among Arab countries and saw the approval of the recommendations of the Standing Committee for Arab Culture held in Riyadh on December 5, 2022. They also followed up on the implementation of the decisions of the previous 22nd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers held in the United Arab Emirates on December 19-20, 2021.
Attending Ministers also reviewed the results and outcomes of the Arabic Language in International Organizations Conference, which was held by the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language in Riyadh under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. The Kingdom’s efforts to incorporate the Arabic language into the work of international organisations have been commended. The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language was commended for the conference’s success, which provided a powerful impetus for encouraging the use of Arabic in international forums.
