Saudi Arabia, UK Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation in Cultural and Architectural Design

The Saudi Architecture and Design Commission logo
The Saudi Architecture and Design Commission logo
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Saudi Arabia, UK Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation in Cultural and Architectural Design

The Saudi Architecture and Design Commission logo
The Saudi Architecture and Design Commission logo

The Saudi Architecture and Design Commission has said that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom.

The signing ceremony took place on Tuesday at the King Abdullah Financial District during the "Great Futures" Initiative conference. The Architecture and Design Commission was represented by the CEO, Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman, while the Royal College of Art in the UK was represented by the College President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Christoph Lindner.

The memorandum aims to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the cultural and architectural design fields and to implement best practices through various areas of collaboration. These include offering short courses and workshops in architecture and design, implementing specialized educational programs, and supporting entrepreneurship programs in the sector.

Solaiman emphasized that this step reflects the commission's commitment to enhancing international cooperation and knowledge exchange in various fields of architecture and design, contributing to the development and growth of this sector to achieve the highest standards of excellence.

She also noted that this memorandum is part of the commission's strategic plans, highlighting the importance of building international strategic partnerships to foster innovation and development in the architecture and design sectors overseen by the commission. The MoU aligns with the commission's approach to building international strategic partnerships with leading global organizations to attract and apply best practices and international expertise.

This initiative is part of efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries across various sectors. It encourages and supports cultural and educational exchange between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.



Japan’s Sado Mines Added to World Heritage List

This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
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Japan’s Sado Mines Added to World Heritage List

This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)
This photo taken on May 9, 2022 shows a mine on Sado island. (AFP)

A network of mines on a Japanese island infamous for using conscripted wartime labor was added to UNESCO's World Heritage register Saturday after South Korea dropped earlier objections to its listing.

The Sado gold and silver mines, now a popular tourist attraction, are believed to have started operating as early as the 12th century and produced until after World War II.

Japan had put a case for World Heritage listing because of their lengthy history and the artisanal mining techniques used there at a time when European mines had turned to mechanization.

The proposal was opposed by Seoul when it was first put because of the use of involuntary Korean labor during World War II, when Japan occupied the Korean peninsula.

UNESCO confirmed the listing of the mines at its ongoing committee meeting in New Delhi on Saturday after a bid highlighting its archaeological preservation of "mining activities and social and labor organization".

"I would like to wholeheartedly welcome the inscription... and pay sincere tribute to the long-standing efforts of the local people which made this possible," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said in a statement.

The World Heritage effort was years in the making, inspired in part by the successful recognition of a silver mine in western Japan's Shimane region.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it had agreed to the listing "on the condition that Japan faithfully implements the recommendation... to reflect the 'full history' at the Sado Gold Mine site and takes proactive measures to that end."

Historians have argued that recruitment conditions at the mine effectively amounted to forced labor, and that Korean workers faced significantly harsher conditions than their Japanese counterparts.

"Discrimination did exist," Toyomi Asano, a professor of history of Japanese politics at Tokyo's Waseda University, told AFP in 2022.

"Their working conditions were very bad and dangerous. The most dangerous jobs were allocated to them."

Also added to the list on Saturday was the Beijing Central Axis, a collection of former imperial palaces and gardens in the Chinese capital.

The UNESCO committee meeting runs until Wednesday.