عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

Saudi Arabia Participates in 220th UNESCO Executive Board Session

The Saudi delegation is headed by Saudi Ambassador to France and Monaco and the Kingdom’s acting permanent delegate to UNESCO Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili who delivered the Kingdom’s speech in the presence of member states of the board, as well as the chairperson of the Executive Board, the president of UNESCO’s General Conference, and UNESCO’s director-general - SPA
The Saudi delegation is headed by Saudi Ambassador to France and Monaco and the Kingdom’s acting permanent delegate to UNESCO Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili who delivered the Kingdom’s speech in the presence of member states of the board, as well as the chairperson of the Executive Board, the president of UNESCO’s General Conference, and UNESCO’s director-general - SPA
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Participates in 220th UNESCO Executive Board Session

The Saudi delegation is headed by Saudi Ambassador to France and Monaco and the Kingdom’s acting permanent delegate to UNESCO Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili who delivered the Kingdom’s speech in the presence of member states of the board, as well as the chairperson of the Executive Board, the president of UNESCO’s General Conference, and UNESCO’s director-general - SPA
The Saudi delegation is headed by Saudi Ambassador to France and Monaco and the Kingdom’s acting permanent delegate to UNESCO Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili who delivered the Kingdom’s speech in the presence of member states of the board, as well as the chairperson of the Executive Board, the president of UNESCO’s General Conference, and UNESCO’s director-general - SPA

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by its permanent delegation to UNESCO, is participating in the 220th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO, which began its opening sessions on Monday at the organization’s headquarters in Paris, France.

The Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science, along with several national entities, is also participating in the session, which will continue until October 23, according to SPA.
The Saudi delegation is headed by Saudi Ambassador to France and Monaco and the Kingdom’s acting permanent delegate to UNESCO Fahd bin Mayouf Al-Ruwaili who delivered the Kingdom’s speech in the presence of member states of the board, as well as the chairperson of the Executive Board, the president of UNESCO’s General Conference, and UNESCO’s director-general.
Al-Ruwaili highlighted Saudi Arabia’s extensive and continuous efforts in collaboration with its regional and global partners to address the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the suffering of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon. He reiterated the Kingdom’s call for an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and infrastructure, the prevention of violence, and the need for a just and comprehensive resolution to the crisis that ensures security and stability for all. He also stressed the importance of implementing relevant UNESCO resolutions and supporting its active role in promoting peace through the frameworks of education, culture, and science.
The ambassador referred to the Kingdom’s organization of the Global AI Summit in Riyadh in September, during which a trilateral agreement was signed between the Saudi government, UNESCO, and the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE). This agreement led to accrediting ICAIRE as a UNESCO Category 2 Center, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s commitment to advancing the future of AI and sustainable development.
Al-Ruwaili emphasized the importance of supporting joint efforts that play a pivotal role in achieving UNESCO’s goals and enhancing the protection of global heritage.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

Syria's Aleppo Set for Revival Despite War Scars to its Heritage

During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
TT
TT

Syria's Aleppo Set for Revival Despite War Scars to its Heritage

During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP

The historic Baron Hotel in Syria's Aleppo is dilapidated and damaged by years of war but still standing and ready for a revival, much like the city itself.

Aleppo's old city, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, was ravaged by the conflict that erupted after a government crackdown on protests in 2011.

Between 2012 and 2016, it became a battleground between Syria's military and opposition factions.

The army of now-ousted president Bashar al-Assad shelled opposition fighters from the ground and struck them from the air, supported by Russian firepower.
Opposition groups, meanwhile, used mortars and artisanal rockets, as the fighting turned ancient streets into sniper alleys.

During the four years of fighting before the government recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied.

Now, after Assad's fall following a lightning opposition offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, residents are looking forward to reconstruction.

"Unfortunately, more than 60 percent of the edifices in the old city, monuments of the old city of Aleppo, were devastated to ground zero," said Georges Edleby, a tour guide in the city for 35 years.

"Hopefully there will be a day that we see them again restored."

The ancient souks where Aleppo's famed olive oil soap is piled up in stacks for sale has been reduced in many places to little more than rubble.

- 'Hope for a better life' -

Aleppo's medieval citadel, however, remains relatively intact.

Opposition fighters, one with a rose slipped into the barrel of his gun, stood guard outside the ancient ramparts, which Syria's army turned into a stronghold during the war.

Most of the damage in the citadel was caused by a 2023 earthquake, locals say.

Below in the old city, a few alleys of the souk -- once the largest in the world with 4,000 stalls -- have reopened after being restored, including with Saudi financial aid.

Jamal Habbal, 66, has spent all his life under the stone vaults of the old city and reopened his macrame and rope shop there a year ago.

"We have so many memories here. It was a big market that was vibrant and lively. Girls used to come to buy items for their trousseaus. They could find everything," he told AFP.

"And then suddenly, the crisis," he said, reluctant to even say the word war.

"We had to leave. I returned in 2018, but it's still difficult," he added, speaking in a dark and largely deserted alley.

Fadel Fadel has also reopened his shop offering souvenirs, soap and mother-of-pearl inlaid boxes.

"It was completely destroyed here," said the 51-year-old.

He is hoping to see Aleppo returned to its status as a "center of commerce, industry and tourism."

"We hope for a better life."

- Museum ready to reopen -

Outside, dusty streets wind between ruins that await reconstruction and revival.

The Baron Hotel once welcomed Agatha Christie, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and France's Charles de Gaulle.

Visitors flocked to see the somewhat faded glory of its rooms, as well as its terrace and the unpaid bar bill belonging to one Lawrence of Arabia.

But now, several broken windows adorned with shutters hanging from a single hinge offer a view into a deserted building covered in dust.

The hotel's future is uncertain.

Its last owner, Armen Mazloumian, has passed away. He told AFP back in 2014 that he felt the hotel's glory days were behind it and it would "never be what it once was again".

Nearby, however, the National Museum of Aleppo is readying to reopen. Its courtyard was hit in shelling but its building and collection were spared.

Director Ahmed Othman said the museum "took lessons from the experience of our neighbours," including institutions in Iraq and Lebanon.

"We took the necessary measures to protect our collections," he said.

"The statues that were too heavy to move were encased in concrete and the smaller pieces were moved to safe places."

Treasures that trace nine millennia of history and the birth of writing in nearby Mesopotamia have been preserved unharmed as a result.

"We did many things in order to protect the museum as a whole," said Othman