FaceOf: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan, KSA’s first minister of culture

FaceOf: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. AN (Ziyad AlArfaj)
Updated 06 June 2018
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FaceOf: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan, KSA’s first minister of culture

  • Prince Badr is the current governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula.
  • Until Prince Badr’s appointment as culture minister, he was the chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG).

JEDDAH: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al-Saud is Saudi Arabia’s first Minister of Culture.

He was appointed by a royal decree released on Saturday that establishes the Ministry of Culture as an independent ministry, responsible for activities related to culture.

Prince Badr is the current governor of the Royal Commission for Al-Ula, a post he has held since the body was created in July 2017 to oversee archaeological and tourism projects in the governorate of Al-Ula in Madinah province.

He developed two agreements with the government of France and the Arab World Institute in Paris. He initiated a scholarship program for the province’s students and developed a partnership with the faculty of design at Harvard University to stimulate innovation and scientific and archaeological publications in the province.

Until Prince Badr’s appointment as culture minister, he was the chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), a post he has held since December 2015.

Prince Badr Al-Farhan holds a bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University in Riyadh. He went to the same university as Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also graduated from the faculty of law and political science, majoring in law.

He served as a member of the board of directors of the General Authority for Culture and participated in the development of strategies to improve the culture sector in the Kingdom and enrich the Saudi cultural scene inside and outside the Kingdom.


Saudi Cabinet reviews cooperation and agreements with other nations

Updated 56 min 13 sec ago
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Saudi Cabinet reviews cooperation and agreements with other nations

  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairs meeting and briefs ministers on his recent meeting with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi
  • Cooperative efforts includes projects focusing on development and education, political consultations, environmental protection, health, investment and air transport

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers reviewed a number of domestic and international matters during a session in Jeddah on Tuesday chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The crown prince briefed the Cabinet on his recent meeting with the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, which included discussions about regional security and stability, the latest developments in the Middle East, and other topics of importance to the Arab and Islamic world, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He also shared with ministers the contents of a letter he received from the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The council discussed progress in cooperative efforts involving Saudi Arabia and other countries including Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Estonia, Cuba and Kiribati, and approved a number of memorandums of understanding.

The cooperation includes projects focusing on development and education, political consultations, environmental protection, health, investment and air-transport services, the press agency said. Ministers also approved an agreement between the Saudi General Authority for Awqaf and its Omani counterpart relating to endowments.

They reviewed national initiatives, including one for the promotion of charitable work, and the enhancement of humanitarian and developmental efforts across the country.

A merger of the National Competitiveness Center with the Saudi Center for Economic Business to create a combined Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center was authorized.