Saudi Heritage Commission, ALECSO Sign Agreement to Hold Joint Executive Program

Saudi Heritage Commission, ALECSO Sign Agreement to Hold Joint Executive Program
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Saudi Heritage Commission, ALECSO Sign Agreement to Hold Joint Executive Program

Saudi Heritage Commission, ALECSO Sign Agreement to Hold Joint Executive Program

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission signed on Sunday a cooperation agreement with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) to hold an executive program to qualify 100 Arab specialists in the field of world heritage.

The agreement was signed during the two-day ALECSO Forum for Business and Partnerships, an initiative led by Saudi Arabia, which kicked on in Tunisia on Sunday.

The agreement seeks to establish a rehabilitation forum for young professionals to build their capacities in world heritage and enable them to learn the best international practices in the field.

The executive program aims to raise awareness and knowledge through the development of joint educational and training programs targeting professionals and experts, developing skills and expertise by organizing collaborative workshops and training courses covering a variety of areas of world heritage, exchanging experiences according to best practices and technologies, and boosting international cooperation in heritage preservation.

The initiative of the "ALECSO Business and Partnerships Forum" was approved by the Executive Council of the organization at its 119th session, and is the first in the history of the organization since its establishment 53 years ago.

As the first of its kind among similar regional and international organizations, it is based on the concept of partnerships and financing to ensure the development of ALECSO's business by providing an appropriate platform to reach successful partnerships based on collective agreements to finance the Organization's projects and programs.

Saudi Arabia will host ALECSO’s 21st regular meeting of its Executive Council and the 27th regular meeting of its General Conference in Jeddah from May 15 to 18.

The hosting is a result of the generous patronage and unwavering support extended to the education, culture, and science sectors by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.



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.