Saudi culture minister gives a speech at the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris He stresses the importance of Sustainable Development Goals, preserving heritage, environment, and education PARIS: Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said strengthening multilateral cooperation will “contribute to achieving world peace” during his speech at the 41st session of the general conference of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris on Wednesday. “We appreciate all the efforts exerted by UNESCO and the member states to strengthen multilateral cooperation, which would contribute to achieving world peace, build bridges of communication and unleash the developmental capabilities of science and culture to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. Prince Badr said Saudi Arabia is proud of its partnership with UNESCO and congratulated the organization for its more than 75 years of multilateral successes in education, science, and culture. “The cultural and scientific sectors are an essential component of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” the minister said. “Therefore, we are investing in initiatives such as the Cultural Scholarship Program and the Cultural Development Fund, which will promote cultural activities in the Kingdom until we launch the great developmental capabilities of these sectors.” During his speech, Prince Badr also stressed the importance of international efforts aimed at preserving heritage. The World Heritage Committee, which selects sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, unanimously adopted a draft resolution submitted by Saudi Arabia to build on the capacities for those working in the field of heritage over the next 10 years. “We are looking forward to this resolution contributing to the promotion of the geographical diversity of experts, the enhancement of competencies, and the adoption of measures to protect cultural heritage sites,” Prince Badr said. Even though COVID-19 presented many obstacles, Prince Badr said the Kingdom could identify and take advantage of new opportunities that emerged during the pandemic. “The strong digital infrastructure has allowed us to promote the cultural sector during the lockdown period through the application of digitization, which contributed to the preservation of heritage and increased participation in cultural offerings,” he said. “Furthermore, the Kingdom has taken significant steps forwards when it comes to digital competitiveness, as it came in first among the G20 countries and jumped 40 places in the Communications and Information Technology Digital Infrastructure Index.” When Saudi Arabia hosted the Global Artificial Intelligence Summit, titled “AI for the Good of Humanity,” in 2020 under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Badr said it confirmed his country’s quest to become an international artificial intelligence capital. “This pushed the Kingdom to launch the National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence to develop legislative competencies and data, build resources and encourage investments in these sectors, which represent the face of the future,” he said. “I am also proud of the Kingdom’s contribution to the preparation of the draft text on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.” As for education, Prince Badr said Saudi Arabia had launched many leading initiatives to promote lifelong learning and competitiveness among individuals by continuously developing their skills and capabilities. The establishment of the Human Capability Development Program as one of the updated programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 was just one example. When it comes to international cooperation for the preservation of the environment and promoting sustainability, Prince Badr said the Kingdom recently unveiled the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative to address the repercussions of climate change in the Kingdom and the wider region. “The Kingdom will form a global sustainability team to raise awareness and provide better opportunities for a global exchange of ideas in this field,” he said. “The Middle East Green Initiative Summit was held with the participation of prominent leaders from the region and the world to promote cooperation and unify efforts to deliver on the joint environmental commitments.” Prince Badr led the Kingdom’s official delegation in Paris. The Saudi Ministry of Education also joined him along with the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and the Human Rights Commission.