The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO yesterday announced the unanimous adoption of Saudi Arabia as Chair of the World Heritage Committee, chaired by Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz bin Muhammad bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf Al-Mogrin, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO and Chairperson of the Programs and External Relations Committee of UNESCO. The committee also adopted a decision for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 45th expanded session of the committee in Riyadh, to be held between September 10 and 25, 2023, where the announcement was made at the 18th extraordinary meeting of the World Heritage Committee, held on Tuesday at the organization's headquarters in Paris in the presence of all member states of the committee. This decision is a result of the Kingdom's considerable efforts at UNESCO under the unlimited support to the cultural sector by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and under the ongoing support and directives of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science. Princess Haifa said that the decision is a result of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's prominent role in supporting heritage, its endeavors to boost joint human heritage, and efforts to realize the goals of the World Heritage Committee. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of representatives of 21 states elected by the General Assembly, examines the proposals of states wishing to place their sites on the World Heritage List, assists experts to report on the sites, and provides the final assessment of the decision of the proposed sites on the World Heritage List. The Kingdom has two other members of UNESCO's main committees, as well as its membership in the World Heritage Committee: membership of the Executive Council and membership of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which highlights the Kingdom's role as a pivotal and international center of action in the organization's decision-making.
