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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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Murakami Tells Alma Mater He Was a ‘Terrible Student'

This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)
This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)
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Murakami Tells Alma Mater He Was a ‘Terrible Student'

This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)
This picture taken on June 29, 2024 shows Japanese author Haruki Murakami posing during a photo call following a performance entitled the “Haruki Murakami produce Murakami JAM vol.3 – A hot and gentle fusion night”, at the Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo. (AFP)

Publicity-shy Japanese author Haruki Murakami told his alma mater Tuesday that he was far from being a model scholar, as he collected an honorary degree in a rare public appearance.

"It feels kind of strange being given the award, considering what a terrible student I was," said Murakami to laughter from the audience at Waseda University.

"I would skip classes and forget about studying. I was just doing whatever I wanted and causing loads of trouble to the university," the 75-year-old said.

The degree is therefore a "pretty generous gesture on Waseda's part," the novelist, dressed in academic regalia, told the rapturous audience of hundreds of admiring fans and Waseda students.

Awarding the honorary doctorate, Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University hailed the "cosmopolitan atmosphere" of Murakami's work and his ability "freewheelingly to zigzag between the real and the surreal".

The author of "Norwegian Wood" and "Kafka on the Shore" is known for his intricate tales of the absurdity and loneliness of modern life, which have been translated into about 50 languages.

Perennially tipped for a Nobel prize, Murakami is a reclusive figure and famously media-shy.

Readers of his works are drawn into the "Murakami world" where giant frogs challenge office workers in battle and mackerel rain down from the sky.

"The City and Its Uncertain Walls", his first full-length novel in six years, hit shelves in Japan last year, and copies of its English translation were released in November.

In his short, self-deprecating speech, Murakami said he had "gained absolutely nothing" from his previous six honorary doctorates -- all awarded by universities abroad -- calling them "useless".

"It's not like they come with pension money... And just because you have honorary doctorates doesn't mean your books sell," he quipped to another bout of laughter.

This is not to say, he added, that he is not grateful to his alma mater.

"Had I not enrolled in Waseda, I might have not pursued the career as a novelist at all," Murakami said, calling the award a milestone in his "life cycle".

Typical of his taciturn style, Murakami offered no clue as to what his next project will be, but he ended his speech on a bright note.

"I want to keep writing good novels," he said.