Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said that the Kingdom supports local, regional and international efforts to develop innovative cultural policies and promote the role of the cultural sector as a major factor of sustainable development.
The minister’s remarks came during a high-level ministerial session of the Regional Consultation for the Arab States, which was held via video conference on Feb.16-17, in preparation for the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, MONDIACULT 2022.
Organized by UNESCO and chaired by Saudi Arabia, the Regional Consultation for the Arab States was part of a series of consultations being held across the world as a prelude to the MONDIACULT 2022 world conference that will take place on Sept. 28-30, 2022 in Mexico.
The session was attended by Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, along with the ministers of Culture in the Arab world, and representatives of regional and international organizations.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan affirmed the Kingdom’s support for national, regional, and international efforts to develop innovative cultural policies. He stressed that productive consultations sought to build on previous endeavors and to seize new opportunities in order to achieve the desired adaptation of culture with general policies.
According to the minister, priorities set by the Arab region emphasized the integration of cultural policies within public strategies to achieve sustainable development goals, and to enhance cultural diversity through the optimal application of digitization.
He added that other cultural goals included the formulation of policies to protect cultural heritage and harness the contribution of culture across the public policy spectrum, as well as enhancing the active participation of youth as a main target in skill-building plans and capacity development.
Over two consecutive days, interlocutors discussed five main priorities, including strengthening the role of the cultural sector as a major factor of sustainable development; responding to the opportunities and challenges of digitization and the promotion of cultural diversity; protecting and harnessing the contribution of culture across the public policy spectrum, in addition to promoting the creative economy through governance and infrastructure development and supporting education, training and capacity building.
