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Saudi Arabia’s Contributions Culminate in its Re-election to UNESCO Executive Board

Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan delivers Saudi Arabia’s speech at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. (SPA)
Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan delivers Saudi Arabia’s speech at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Contributions Culminate in its Re-election to UNESCO Executive Board

Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan delivers Saudi Arabia’s speech at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. (SPA)
Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan delivers Saudi Arabia’s speech at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. (SPA)

As a culmination of its contributions to promoting education, culture and science around the world, Saudi Arabia has won membership in the Executive Council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the 2023-2027 session, for the second time in a row, during the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference.

Prince Badr bin Farhan, Minister of Culture and Chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science, said: “As one of the founding members of UNESCO since 1946, Saudi Arabia fully supports the enhancement of the education, culture, and science sectors globally.”

He added that the Kingdom’s victory was a result of the member-states’ confidence in Saudi Arabia’s effective contribution to supporting the three sectors in achieving sustainable development goals and serving as catalysts for empowerment and prosperity worldwide.

Prince Badr bin Farhan noted that Saudi Arabia was the first country to take the initiative to include the cultural dimension in the agenda of the G20 Summit, adding that UNESCO was a party in the first joint meeting of the group’s culture ministers, during the Kingdom’s presidency of the summit in 2020.

Regarding the partnership between his country and the organization in the fields of education, science and culture, the minister pointed to the Saudi Fund at UNESCO, through which the Kingdom launched six pioneering projects to make a positive impact on cultural heritage around the world.

Prince Badr explained that Saudi Arabia, through its membership in the Executive Board of UNESCO, will collaborate with member states to strengthen international cooperation, achieve the organization’s strategic targets, and sustain its vital role within the organization.

The Executive Council is one of the three constitutional bodies of UNESCO, which include the General Conference and the General Secretariat. Its members are elected at the General Conference, which is held every two years.

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Culture

Malaysian Rice Porridge a ‘Trademark’ Ramadan Tradition

This picture taken on March 5, 2025 shows an Indian Muslim mixing ingredients to prepare the popular dish "bubur lambuk" at Masjid India during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP)
This picture taken on March 5, 2025 shows an Indian Muslim mixing ingredients to prepare the popular dish "bubur lambuk" at Masjid India during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP)
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Malaysian Rice Porridge a ‘Trademark’ Ramadan Tradition

This picture taken on March 5, 2025 shows an Indian Muslim mixing ingredients to prepare the popular dish "bubur lambuk" at Masjid India during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP)
This picture taken on March 5, 2025 shows an Indian Muslim mixing ingredients to prepare the popular dish "bubur lambuk" at Masjid India during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP)

As dusk fell, hundreds of Muslims at a mosque in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur feast on bowls of fragrant rice porridge known locally as "bubur lambuk", part of a Ramadan tradition dating back decades.

Slow-cooked with various spices in giant pots and stirred with oversized ladles, bubur lambuk is traditionally prepared by volunteers in mosque courtyards before being distributed to the public for iftar, the fast-breaking meal in the largely Islamic nation.

But the broth, specially prepared at Masjid India, a well-known Kuala Lumpur mosque, serves a unique version of the porridge using a recipe originating from India.

"This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, from the 60s to the 70," he told AFP.

"So it has become a trademark. If it (Nombu Kanji) wasn't there, it wouldn't be complete."

Mosque volunteers use 140 kilograms (308 pounds) of rice daily to cook the porridge, which is served in bowls to prayer attendees or packed into 1,000 large plastic packets to be distributed to the public.

Each packet is enough to feed a family of four.

"From the perspective of making things easier for the people in this area, sometimes the homeless who struggle to get food, low-income workers, and office workers who sometimes don't have time to go home and cook benefit from this," he said.

"So, the preparation of iftar meals by mosques helps make their daily lives more convenient (during Ramadan)."

Mohaiyadin Sahulhameed, a local resident originally from India, said the porridge served at the mosque reminded him of home.

"Back in our village, the way we cook is using large woks, with curry leaves, mustard seeds, cinnamon, and all sorts of ingredients mixed together. When combined with rice, it creates a rich aroma, quite similar to how it's done here," he said.

The mosque's cook, Sathakkathullah Hameed, said he saw preparing the large pots of porridge daily as a religious calling.

"During this fasting month, I want to help others. Allah grants rewards, mercy, and blessings, and, God willing, He will provide sustenance," he said.

"And when people eat the porridge I cook, they say 'Bismillah,' (in the name of God) and I respond with 'Alhamdulillah' (praise be to God)."