ALULA: More than 20 Nobel laureates and over 100 prominent scientists and thought, community, and political leaders from all over the world have arrived in AlUla in northwestern Saudi Arabia to take part in the first Hegra Conference of Nobel Prize Laureates 2020.

The conference is hosted by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) in Maraya Hall. The hall has been recently renovated to serve as a new regional and international center for recreation, arts and conference events.

The conference’s theme, “Knowledge Transfer: A Shared Heritage,” reflects the historical role of AlUla as a crossroads where different cultures, civilizations and peoples came together thousands of years ago.

It also sheds light on the importance of knowledge transfer as a fundamental principle of humanity.

Visiting Nobel Peace Prize laureates include former Polish president Lech Wałęsa, former Northern Ireland first minister Lord David Trimble, and the founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus.

Among prominent participants and speakers at the conference are Princess Dana Firas, president of Petra National Trust, which hosted the last conference of Nobel Prize laureates, and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

The conference will discuss global issues related to unity, international cooperation, innovation, sustainability, heritage preservation and building a common vision for the future.

It aims to provide clear and influential solutions for the future of education, health, agriculture and economics.

The Conference of Nobel Laureates has been held regularly since 2004 and run by Richard Attias and Associates.