Rome, Saudi Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, has reiterated that culture will be the driving force for a more sustainable world and a more prosperous future for all nations.
The Prince made his statement while participating today as Vice-President in the Ministerial Meeting of Culture Ministers of the G-20, which was held in the Italian capital, Rome, adding that the Kingdom is committed to strengthening the international dialogue on ways to recover the culture and creativity sectors from the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic, in order to achieve the full potential of these sectors.
The ministerial meeting – organized by Italy, which is currently chairing the G-20 in 2021 – represents the culmination of the Sherpa cultural track within the framework of the G-20 agenda, a track that was created during the Kingdom’s assumption of the summit’s presidency in 2020.
The current presidency has identified the five priorities for the Sherpa Cultural Track meetings for the year 2021, which include cultural and creative industries as key drivers of sustainability and growth, protection of cultural heritage, addressing climate change through culture, capacity building through training and education, and digital transformation from a cultural perspective.
During the meeting, the Minister of Culture expressed appreciation to Italian Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Dario Franceschini and said: “I am honored to be here today as Vice-President of this ministerial meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the G-20 countries and I would like to thank all participants in this meeting for their commitment to sustaining the cultural discussion within the G-20 based on the outcomes of the first joint meeting of culture ministers that took place during the Kingdom’s presidency of the group last year. He praised the efforts of the Italian presidency in building on the commitments of the first joint meeting of culture ministers, which resulted in laying the foundations for fruitful cooperation among the members of the G-20 in order to achieve collective commitments to culture as a development engine and a key factor in prosperity.
Prince Badr reviewed the Kingdom’s continuous efforts to preserve cultural heritage and support culture, noting that Saudi Arabia has made great strides in its efforts to preserve cultural heritage, including the registration of six sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, stressing the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting international dialogue on the role of culture in mitigating the effects of climate change, and by contributing to a re-imagining of the relationship between cultural policy-making and environmental sustainability, in addition to launching initiatives in the areas of research and capacity development with support, education, and empowerment, and exploring the huge potential of digitization in cultural sectors to increase their contribution to economic growth.
Source: Saudi Press Agency