The three-day 2022 Hegra Conference of Nobel Laureates & Friends, organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla, has concluded.
The conference gathered winners of Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, UNESCO for Women in Science Prize, King Faisal Prize, and King Salman Prize, along with prominent figures from around the world, in AlUla to discuss the significant challenges facing humanity under the theme ‘New Openings: Decisive Moments for a Decisive Decade.’
Among the attendees were prominent intellectuals including Guatemalan activist Rigoberta Menchu-Tum (Nobel Peace Prize, 1992), former Polish President Lech Walesa (Nobel Peace Prize, 1983), journalists Michael Moss (Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, 2010) and Jeff Gottlieb (Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, 2011), Prof. Omar M. Yaghi, The James and Neeltje Tretter Chair at the University of California Berkeley (King Faisal Prize); and Dominique Langevin, the research director at Europe’s largest fundamental science agency – Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS (UNESCO for Women in Science).
“The Hegra Conference of Nobel Laureates & Friends is a reflection of AlUla’s legacy of important knowledge exchange and dialogue. It is a powerful attempt to analyze the most critical issues facing humanity today and to create actionable recommendations,” said Ibrahim Muhammad Al Sultan, member of the RCU’s board of directors.
During the conference, curated by the Richard Attias Firm and the Royal Commission for AlUla, the group discussed a range of topics including preventing the erosion of culture, the cost and opportunity of longer lifespans, closing the learning gap, and making healthcare accessible to all.
Following the discussions, the group released their recommendations with a view to inspiring decision-makers around the world – national leaders, heads of international organizations, large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as well as everyday citizens – to take necessary actions in the coming decade to ensure that humanity thrives throughout the 21st century.
In the concluding ceremony, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud delivered a closing keynote in which he said: “You have come, you have seen, and I hope you were conquered by what you have seen – by the majesty and grace of AlUla.”
The Royal Commission for AlUla also hosted the students of Mawhiba Program, who won prestigious prizes at the international science engineering fair (ISEF) 2022, alongside students from the University of Taibah, who all partook in the closing ceremony that focused on the youth and their major role in building the future.
