Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Culture and Green Future’ Initiative

Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)
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Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Culture and Green Future’ Initiative

Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan shakes hands with the Secretary-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO)

Saudi Arabia has launched the "Culture & Green Future" initiative, which aims to enhance the role of culture and raise awareness of the centrality of culture in comprehensive and sustainable development and address its various challenges.

The initiative was launched by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture and Chairman of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, in cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), on the sidelines of the activities of the 23rd session of the Conference of Arab Culture Ministers.

The conference was hosted on Wednesday by the Culture Ministry in cooperation with ALECSO in Riyadh, in the presence of ministers and officials from 20 Arab countries as well as the Arab League, and representatives of international and regional organizations.

"The issue of culture and the green future comes in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Hence the Kingdom supports collective efforts to enhance knowledge, skills, and practices related to making the cultural sector more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” the Culture Minister said in a speech at the conference.

The role of culture in shaping a green future and implementing the commitments of Arab countries to harness culture for sustainable development will be focused through the launch of the "Culture and Sustainability Report in the Arab World", which will include five themes, including culture and sustainable development, knowledge transfer and exchange of expertise to create the green future, climate change, and local cultural policies, and “sustainable and creative cities and cultural solutions to ensure sustainability.”

The Culture Ministry also signed two separate agreements with ALECSO and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO).



Dozens of Exotic Animals Seized at Turkish Border

A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Dozens of Exotic Animals Seized at Turkish Border

A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Turkish customs officials in the northwestern city of Edirne discovered dozens of exotic animals being smuggled into Türkiye from Greece, The Associated Press said.

State-run Anadolu Agency reported that the mid-sized sedan with Greek license plates was carrying three kangaroos, three alpacas and one Patagonian mara in the trunk, and 12 parrots and 23 flying squirrels inside the vehicle. Many of the animals are juveniles.

Photos from the scene show the larger animals bound and squeezed together in tight confinement, while the smaller ones were crowded in cages.

The private Demiroren News Agency identified the driver of the vehicle as Yuksel D., who was subsequently detained by authorities.

All the animals survived and will be delivered to the Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.