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PARIS, November 10 2021 /PRNewswire＝KYODO JBN/ --

Royal Commission for AlUla and UNESCO announce partnership to share Saudi

Arabia's rich cultural heritage with the world

- Recently signed in Paris, the new agreement is part of RCU and UNESCO's

inclusive cultural development plan to engage with local and worldwide

communities

- Newly announced partnership acts as a roadmap to showcase the introduction of

Saudi Arabia and AlUla's physical and intangible heritage on the global stage

- Partnership to set new benchmark in heritage conservation, education &

capacity building, nature and creative arts in AlUla

/PRNewswire/ -- The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) today signed a long-term

strategic partnership with UNESCO to preserve and promote a cultural landscape

of outstanding natural and historical significance in North-West Saudi Arabia.

Signed at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the agreement accelerates the

ongoing cultural and socio-economic renaissance of AlUla by further protecting

its historical, natural and cultural sites as well as its local culture, by

fostering capacity building and knowledge transfer with experts from around the

world joining RCU efforts to transform AlUla into a benchmark destination for

heritage, nature, arts & culture.

The partnership was signed by HH Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud, Governor of

RCU and Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia, with Audrey Azoulay, Director

General, UNESCO; HH Princess Haifa AlMogrin, Ambassador, Saudi Arabia's

Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU.

Audrey Azoulay, Director General, UNESCO declared: "The relationship between

Saudi Arabia and UNESCO builds on a long history that extends back to 1946,

when the Kingdom became a Member State of our Organization. Today, cooperation

between UNESCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking another important step

forward, with a view to accompanying a major transformation of the AlUla

region."

HH Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud, Governor of RCU and Minister of Culture of

the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said: "It is the vision of His Royal Highness

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, to transform AlUla

into a global destination for heritage, nature, arts & culture. The signing of

this first-of-its-kind agreement is another significant moment in our journey

towards reaching these ambitions and building upon the enduring relationship

that exists between Saudi Arabia, RCU and UNESCO. Aligned with Saudi Arabia's

Vision 2030 plans and UN Sustainable Development Goals, this partnership will

connect AlUla's past, present and future by harnessing the power of education,

science and culture to act as a catalyst for sustainable development model and

long-lasting change."

HH Princess Haifa AlMogrin, Ambassador, Saudi Arabia's Permanent Delegation to

UNESCO said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is home to some of the most unique

and culturally significant heritage sites, of which AlUla is the most iconic

and inspiring. As a global institution that celebrates and protects cultural

and heritage diversity, UNESCO will be instrumental in helping to advance RCU's

commitment to fulfil the potential of the AlUla region, its people, landmarks

and natural environment through diverse development and economic programmes

that reflect Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and UNESCO's efforts towards

Sustainable Development."

Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU said: "Mutually beneficial partnerships and alliances

are essential to our strategy and demonstrate an open and engaged dialogue that

amplifies AlUla's heritage status and show culture's capacity to be an engine

for sustainable and long-term development. The alignment of RCU, UNESCO and

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is powering growth, fostering intellectual, cultural

and scientific exchange and enabling wisdom to grow on a global scale in full

alignment with the 17 UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Our motive for

protecting and evolving AlUla is to help bring it to the world, to develop

shared knowledge, grow understanding of AlUla's past and anticipation of its

future by establishing it as a destination of global prominence for visitors

and residents alike, in partnership with UNESCO."

AlUla tells the story of 200,000 years of human history. It has been home to

ancient civilisations, including the Dadanties, Lihyanites and Nabateans who

each left their indelible imprint on the area, most clearly preserved in grand

tombs carved into the mountains.

The partnership will see the implementation of knowledge-based initiatives to

transform sustainably and responsibly the cultural, heritage and natural

landscape of AlUla and establish this vast swathe of north-west Saudi Arabia as

the world's largest living museum.

AlUla's development will establish it as a unique destination home to a

culturally rich local population who are empowered to interact with and inspire

visitors through informed story telling.

Leading academics from across the globe will be invited to explore AlUla

through immersive opportunities designed to unlock the secrets of ancient

languages and societies that are captured in time in AlUla.

RCU will work alongside UNESCO and global experts on key programmes including:

Memory of the World, focused on the preservation of documentary heritage.

UNESCO-Kingdoms Institute Fellowships Programme, for researching, preserving,

promoting and transmitting heritage.

The jewel in Saudi Arabia's heritage crown, AlUla is part of the Kingdom's

Vision 2030 plan to unlock its vast cultural, tourism and economic potential.

UNESCO and Vision 2030's Agenda for Sustainable Development are strategically

aligned to promote education, culture and science as a powerful platform to

stimulate economic opportunities, job creation and growth.

Spanning the next five years and focused on 10 programmes, the new partnership

includes the listing of new natural and cultural sites under UNESCO's taxonomy

to protect and promote local heritage and natural landscape and ecosystems. Key

sectors that will shape this include heritage conservation, education and

capacity building, nature and creative arts, with local people as the main

beneficiaries of AlUla's development.

Helping to open up the long-hidden potential, knowledge and unique culture that

make up Saudi Arabia's identity and heritage, AlUla will act as a laboratory

for sustainable development models and conservation practices while also

enabling UNESCO to increase its footprint in the region.

The agreement builds on a long history of collaboration between Saudi Arabia

and UNESCO that extends back to 1946 when the Kingdom was one of 20 countries

to ratify the UNESCO constitution. Over the years this relationship has

continued to thrive and develop in both directions; UNESCO designated Hegra in

AlUla as Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage Site in 2008, KSA became a member

of UNESCO's Executive Committee in 2019 and was elected to UNESCO's Intangible

Cultural Heritage Committee for the first time in 2020.

Note to editors:

It is always AlUla / not Al-Ula

About the Royal Commission for AlUla

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established by royal decree in July

2017 to preserve and develop AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and

cultural significance in north-west Saudi Arabia. RCU's long-term plan outlines

a responsible, sustainable, and sensitive approach to urban and economic

development, that preserves the area's natural and historic heritage, while

establishing AlUla as a desirable location to live, work, and visit. This

encompasses a broad range of initiatives across archaeology, tourism, culture,

education, and the arts, reflecting a commitment to meeting the economic

diversification, local community empowerment, and heritage preservation

priorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 programme.

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the

Sciences and Culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the

Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General

Assembly in 2015.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1684360/AlUla_Image_of_Hegra.jpg

Photo -

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Source: The Royal Commission for AlUla