Saudi Arabia hosts ‘exceptional edition’ of UNESCO World Heritage Committee

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday concluded an exceptional edition of a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in the capital Riyadh.

“We were pleased to welcome the participants in the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee,” Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, culture minister and chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, said in a statement.

“The participants had the opportunity to learn about the kingdom’s cultural treasures closely, and to see the heritage and authenticity of our dear capital,” he added.

He said the Saudi Vision 2023 views heritage as “a cultural treasure and a human and knowledge heritage.”

“Saudi Arabia affirms its commitment to building and launching more global platforms,” he added.

Bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia is working with UNESCO to “support many decisions seeking to build solid foundations for human capabilities in the fields of heritage and antiquities.”

The kingdom, he added, “also supports and preserves World Heritage sites by adopting a capacity-building strategy for workers in the field of heritage for the next 10 years.”

The 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, held on Sept. 10-25, witnessed the presence of 3,000 participants from 195 countries, 37 events, and 60 cultural programs.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi