Riyadh will host the World Heritage Committee next September

The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the decision to host Saudi Arabia’s 45th expanded session of the committee, in the capital, Riyadh, from September 10 to September 25.
This came during its 18th extraordinary meeting at the organization’s headquarters, in Paris, in the presence of all its members, who also approved Saudi Arabia as chair of the committee, headed by Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al Muqrin, the permanent Saudi representative to the organization, and chair of the Programs and External Relations Committee emanating from the Executive Council of the organization. And this is the culmination of the Kingdom’s efforts in “UNESCO”, in light of the unlimited support enjoyed by the cultural sector by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the continuous directives of the Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah. Bin Farhan.
Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz explained that the decision is nothing but the result of Saudi Arabia’s prominent role in supporting heritage, and its extended endeavors towards documenting the common human heritage alongside the member states, and achieving the goals of the organization in general, and the committee in particular.
The committee, which is composed of representatives of 21 countries elected by the General Assembly, is concerned with studying the proposals of countries wishing to include their sites in the World Heritage List, assisting experts to submit reports on the sites, and presenting the final assessment to decide on the decision to include them.
Saudi Arabia was elected by the member states of the committee during the 44th session in Fuzhou, China, as vice-chairman for the Arab group in the committee for the period between 2021 and 2023. Through its membership, it made great efforts to support the heritage and document the common human heritage, along with the member states, most notably their unanimity in adopting the draft resolution submitted by it to build the capabilities of workers in the field for the next ten years, which will contribute to enhancing the geographical diversity of experts, empowering regional competencies, and developing plans And measures to protect endangered sites, and raise the technical and professional competencies of youth and experts in the field.
It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia has two other memberships in the main committees of “UNESCO”, in addition to its membership in the World Heritage Committee, namely the “Executive Council” and the “Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage”; What proves its role as an important, pivotal and international center and an actor in the decision-making of the organization.