119th Regular Session of the Executive Council of 'ALECSO' Kicks Off in Tunis

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA
The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA
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119th Regular Session of the Executive Council of 'ALECSO' Kicks Off in Tunis

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA
The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) kicked off Saturday in Tunis.

The two-day session will cover various agenda items, including monitoring the implementation of decisions made during previous sessions and assemblies. Additionally, discussions will focus on the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions in Palestine, the threats faced by Jerusalem, and the review of reports and recommendations from specialized ministerial conferences.

Also, proposals from member states will be examined, including the Saudi Kingdom's proposal to launch the ALECSO Forum for Business and Partnerships, as well as the Arab Observatory Center for Translation project.

Representatives from member states, Arab and international bodies, and organizations in Tunisia, along with representatives from the Arab League, took part in the meeting.

The Kingdom's representative and Chairman of the Executive Council, Hani bin Moqbel Al-Moqbel, lead the discussions.

Also present were the Director General of ALECSO, Mohamed Ould Omar, and the Secretary-General of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science (SNC), Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Bulahid.

During the session, the Executive Board of ALECSO commended the success of the "Future of Education, Science, and Culture International Organizations Forum (FESCIOF)," held in Riyadh last March.

They expressed appreciation to the Saudi leadership for hosting the conference for two consecutive terms and recognized the efforts of the SNC in ensuring its international success, SPA reported.

In his speech, Al-Moqbel stated that ALECSO and SNC organized the FESCIOF conference in Riyadh under the slogan "Together for impact in the 21st century." He emphasized that the Kingdom aimed for a new transformative phase characterized by an international perspective, a future-oriented framework, and a comprehensive vision.

This made the initiative, tools, and leadership of the conference truly exceptional, particularly as it was the first of its kind since the inception of the organization over 50 years ago.



Pharrell Advocates for Reviving Arts Competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton Event 

Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
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Pharrell Advocates for Reviving Arts Competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton Event 

Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)

If given the chance, Pharrell Williams would reintroduce arts competition into the Olympics, reviving a tradition that's been missing for nearly 80 years.

Williams is aiming to reinstate arts competitions back on the world's biggest sports stage, starting with raising awareness through his star-studded Louis Vuitton event Thursday in Paris. He passionately shared his goal to see the tradition revived by the Olympics in 2028 the night before the Games’ opening ceremony.

“We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” Williams before the event. “Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in. ... Why not take this moment to bring awareness?”

Art competitions first came into fruition at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. However, the International Olympic Committee ended the competitions in the 1948 games. An attempt to bring it back was denied four years later.

Williams, the musician-turned-designer, hosted the ritzy A-list event at the Louis Vuitton Foundation building. Attendees included popular figures such as LeBron James, Steven Spielberg, Mick Jagger, Zendaya, Anna Wintour, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, Rosalía, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah and Zac Efron.

Williams called the inside of the event like an “indoor carnival.” He curated a select group of world-renowned artists including KAWS, Daniel Arsham and Derek Fordjour to design interactive art installations.

Some of the sports represented at the event included archery, tennis, basketball and equestrianism along with carnival games. “The game will begin on the inside tonight,” he said.

Through donations, Williams said he wanted the event to support Olympic hopefuls as well as 36 athletes across 11 different countries who are competing on the Refugee Olympic Team this year.

“We get to raise money for the other athletes who don't have the means to get the gear or proper training equipment,” said Williams, who added that he spoke about creating music for the games with Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC.

The famed producer said he recorded a track called “Triumph is Cosmos.”

“This is like the victory lap around the solar system,” he said.