Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, UNESCO sign deal for cultural programs, heritage fellowships

The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. (SPA)
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Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, UNESCO sign deal for cultural programs, heritage fellowships

  • The two-year program will emphasize the role of heritage and creativity in constructing sustainable sites and a development model founded on cultural and social interaction in AlUla

RIYADH: Royal Commission for AlUla and UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization officials recently triggered the second phase of a cultural programs agreement signed in Paris in 2021.

The inking of the deal to activate the next stage of the initiative came in coordination with a steering committee represented by bodies including the RCU, UNESCO, the Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science, and the Saudi permanent delegation to UNESCO.




The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. (SPA)

Part two of the accord will focus mainly on projects related to building an integrated cultural scheme and developing a fellowship program in antiquities protection in cooperation with UNESCO and the Al-Mamalek Institute. Both initiatives aim to preserve heritage, promote education, nature, and creative arts.

The RCU UNESCO program will provide technical support while concentrating on capacity building and promoting international relations.

HIGHLIGHT

The fellowship program in antiquities protection will welcome its first fellows to AlUla this year, enabling researchers and heritage professionals to conduct work focused on conservation, management, and the exchange of knowledge.

It also aims to highlight cultural heritage and creativity as drivers of AlUla’s sustainable development plan, aligning with the AlUla vision and Saudi Vision 2030.

The two-year program will emphasize the role of heritage and creativity in constructing sustainable sites and a development model founded on cultural and social interaction in AlUla.

The fellowship program in antiquities protection will welcome its first fellows to AlUla this year, enabling researchers and heritage professionals to conduct work focused on conservation, management, and the exchange of knowledge.

The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. It aims to enhance education, culture, and science to stimulate economic opportunities, generate employment, and achieve comprehensive sustainable development.

 


Arab-Islamic ministerial committee meets at UN headquarters to discuss Gaza war

Updated 5 sec ago
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Arab-Islamic ministerial committee meets at UN headquarters to discuss Gaza war

  • Meeting led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan
  • Ministers call for lasting peace, implementation of two-state solution

RIYADH: A ministerial committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit held a meeting on Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The meeting was led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and attended by representatives from China, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Turkiye, Indonesia, Malaysia and the UAE.

The agenda focused on recent events in Gaza, including the outcomes of the humanitarian truce for Palestinian prisoners and efforts to achieve a ceasefire.

The meeting underscored the role of the UN Security Council’s permanent members in protecting civilians and enforcing international humanitarian laws, and highlighted the need to establish secure channels to allow urgent humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

The ministers reiterated their call for lasting peace through the implementation of resolutions supporting a two-state solution and the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The committee also urged the global community to consistently apply international legal and moral principles, and to protect Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank from the Israeli army and violent illegal settlers.


Agreement signed to achieve Saudi Green Initiative goals in Taif

Updated 29 November 2023
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Agreement signed to achieve Saudi Green Initiative goals in Taif

Taif Gov. Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud on Wednesday witnessed the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Green Taif Organization, represented by its chairman, Saad bin Ayed Al-Otaibi, and the Green Horizons Environmental Association, represented by board member Saad bin Rabah Al-Ajmi.

The deal seeks to achieve the goals of the Saudi Green Initiative in Taif by increasing and preserving vegetation cover and protecting resources, identifying areas suitable for afforestation, determining the types of seedlings appropriate for each site, and other initiatives.

It will also implement training courses in relation to the environment, preserving its development and sustainability, and implementing initiatives, campaigns and awareness-raising activities.
 


Who’s Who: Ahmed Al-Shammari, GM of marketing and communications at National Gas and Industrialization Co.

Updated 30 November 2023
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Who’s Who: Ahmed Al-Shammari, GM of marketing and communications at National Gas and Industrialization Co.

Ahmed Al-Shammari has been the general manager of marketing and communications at the National Gas and Industrialization Co. in Riyadh since October this year.

Al-Shammari was selected due to his extensive professional background in strategic communications and customer experience, as well as his more than 15 years of experience in providing leadership in directing communication and branding initiatives, which reflect, articulate and promote the mission, vision and identity of the organization.

His areas of expertise include public relations, corporate social responsibility, media relations, content creation, events management, project management and strategic planning.

Al-Shammari was previously executive director for corporate communication and customer experience at the Fund for Martyrs and Wounded, Prisoners and Missing Persons in Riyadh.

In 2022, he was director of corporate communications at Saudi Mining Services Co., ESNAD.

Al-Shammari has also held important roles at Saudi Arabian Mining Co., also known as Ma’aden, where his responsibilities included overseeing development of communication, branding strategies and delivering impactful public relations programs that advanced the company’s mission and values.

Prior to that role, he was the internal and external communication manager‎ and corporate communication manager at the same company.

Al-Shammari started his career in July 2012 as corporate communication specialist at Saudi Railway Co.

He was the company’s corporate communication supervisor from March 2014 to April 2017, and the corporate communication manager from May 2017 to December 2018.

Al-Shammari earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Southern Indiana in 2005. He completed the leadership program at Harvard Business Review and Strategic Leadership from Harvard Business School in 2019.


More than 1,000 bicycles given away as part of AlUla cycle path opening

Updated 30 November 2023
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More than 1,000 bicycles given away as part of AlUla cycle path opening

ALULA: More than 1,000 bicycles have been awarded to participants of road safety and cycling courses in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla to mark the opening of a new 45 km cycle path on Wednesday.

Members of the AlUla Cyclists Club made up just part of the 200-strong group of cyclists competing in a race as part of the ceremony, as well as people living locally, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

There were also 150 students using paths designed to enhance the skills of cyclists at all levels. 

The cycle path forms part of the AlUla Vision and sports sector strategy that aims to develop activities that improve people’s quality of life and increase the number of people taking part in sporting activites as well as the number of international competitions.


Red Sea Global nursery brings life to the desert with 5m plants cultivated in just 3 years

Updated 30 November 2023
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Red Sea Global nursery brings life to the desert with 5m plants cultivated in just 3 years

RIYADH: A blooming impressive 5 million plants have been grown in the massive Red Sea Global nursery since it was launched three-years-ago.

Currently running at full capacity, the announcement puts the 1 million square meter nursery – the region’s biggest - on course to producing more than 30 million, state news agency SPA reported.

The vast horticultural collection, that includes local plants, flowers, and other greenery will be replanted at Saudi resorts, hotels, and other projects including the Red Sea and Amaala destinations.

With the majority of nursery’s plants being indigenous species makes them ideal for the local environment, the report added.

And the introduction of additional desert species follows thorough assessments to ensure their coexistence with local plants and animals.

The nursery’s senior manager, Muteb Al-Osaimi, said combatting desertification – when fertile land turns to desert – was complex process.

“This presents an opportunity to transcend reasonable limits, elevate sustainability standards, and collaborate with an international team of experts who share a passion for environmental enhancement. Concurrently, we contribute to crafting beautiful destinations by designing captivating landscapes, creating inviting spaces for visitors to unwind, and fostering flourishing wildlife,” said Al-Osaimi.

With a workforce currently at 80, the Red Sea Global project is being used to provide employment and training for Saudi locals.