Saudi Arabia has been elected to UNESCO's World Heritage Committee for the first time.
Minister of Culture and Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Sciences and Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan said Wednesday that the Kingdom’s election is an embodiment of the unlimited support to the cultural sector by the Saudi leadership.
“This also reaffirms the confidence of the international community in the Kingdom’s standing and its role in supporting the conservation and preservation of the World Heritage,” he said.
The World Heritage Committee, which meets once a year, consists of representatives from 21 states elected by the General Assembly.
The Committee has the final say on whether a property is added to the World Heritage List.
Five sites in Saudi Arabia are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. They are Al-Ahsa Oasis, Al-Hijr Archaeological Site in AlUla, Al-Turaif district in Diriyah, Historic Jeddah, and rock art in the Hail region.
