We bid farewell to 2023, with all accomplishments and lessons that we learned, welcoming the new year immensely determined to seize new opportunities and enhance our progress. We are intent on continuing our journey at the Ministry of Culture, a journey of big dreams inspired and empowered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may God protect them. It is a journey grounded in Saudi ingenuity, diverse heritage is the secret to its success, and a bright future is its destination.
Five and a half years in, the journey has made exceptional gains in a record time, making the Saudi experience of institutionalizing the cultural sector unique and inspiring. Dreams have become reality, thanks to the immense support of our wise leadership that believes culture is crucial for the development of humanity and nations, as well as our productive partnership with Saudi intellectuals and creatives, and the tireless efforts of the young Saudi men and women who have been doing diligent work in the cultural sphere.
Although cultural sectors have many branches, the cultural system has operated in the spirit of a united team. Since then, it has succeeded in creating incentives within the sector by launching 500 initiatives to ensure that it evolves across the board and establishing 11 cultural commissions alongside 25 cultural institutions that make us proud. We have shared our inspiring cultural experience with the world through international forums, in order to enhance intellectual and cultural exchange, which contributed to reflecting the unique historical depth and value of Saudi culture.
Over the past few years, we have seen the expansion of our global partnerships with friendly states and international cultural organizations, and the Kingdom has become a cultural and artistic destination that draws visitors from across the world. It has adopted a vision that clearly sees the importance of promoting culture globally through its initiatives, which have received international support and endorsement.
Our journey has contributed to enhancing our national identity through a series of transformative and exceptional initiatives. It has facilitated access to cultural content in every region of the Kingdom, through over 4000 cultural events that drew 11 million visitors. The cultural system’s efforts have raised awareness about the importance of culture and its impact on individuals and society. According to recent studies, 92 percent of the Kingdom's residents now see the importance of culture in their daily lives. The private sector's investment in culture has doubled, and cultural activity now contributes more strongly to our GDP.
Surpassing Three Targets
The cultural system has also made strides in terms of supply, demand, and enabling factors. It has surpassed three of the targets it had set for the year 2030. The number of graduates in fields tied to cultural specialties has increased to more than 28,000, exceeding the target of 26,000. The number of employees in the cultural sectors has leaped to 244,000, whereas the 2030 target was 140,000. Additionally, the target number of Saudi participation in international cultural events was surpassed, with the Kingdom having taken part in 35.
In light of all that has been achieved, our experiences attest to the cultural system's capacity for adapting to change and its flexibility in creating innovative and sustainable operating models. The Saudi experience in facing the major challenge recently encountered by cultural sectors worldwide, COVID-19, is a prime example.
Ambitions for 2024
Looking to the future, we enter the year 2024 with great ambitions. We aim to enhance these gains and supplement them with more achievements in a rapidly evolving and changing world. Several major shifts that will impact the cultural sector over the next few years are emerging, creating new opportunities. While social transformations and consumer preferences affect the sector, they fundamentally help the system with planning. Global economic shifts push the cultural sector to adopt new approaches so that it can continue to thrive. It also highlights the significance of funding and support, while technological developments offer infinite opportunities for growth and contribute to creating new spaces.
Three Fundamental Pillars
The priorities of Saudi Arabia's cultural system, starting from the new year, will be founded on three fundamental pillars: culture for enhancing creative endeavors and community participation, economic growth, and national pride and global exchange. The focus is on achieving further progress, whether in terms of supply, by incentivizing innovation, production, and publication, demand (awareness and consumption), or enabling factors such as funding, education, vocational training, laws and regulations, and technology.
We are determined to strengthen our international partnerships and encourage plans for integrating culture into other public policies and ensuring that they complement one another to ensure that we achieve sustainable development goals across the globe. We are also determined to protect global heritage from challenges like climate change, conflicts, and other risks, and to contribute, with friends around the world, to safeguarding cultural treasures, which are part of our human civilization.
Enhancing and preserving culture is not only a fundamental need but also a civilizational responsibility.
Thus, we will continue to pursue Saudi Vision 2030. The journey of the Ministry of Culture will reach the middle of the journey towards 2030 in June. We have no choice but to fulfill the aspirations of our leadership and the ambitions of our country, which deserves to see forms of culture flourish. We would thereby enrich individual lifestyles, reinforce our national identity, and encourage cultural dialogue with the world.
Facts
11 Million Visitors were drawn by 4,000 cultural activities in Saudi Arabia
