The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of culture, aimed at intensifying consultation in the field of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and enhancing joint international cooperation in inscribing natural and historical sites and cultural elements on the Islamic World Heritage List.

The MoU was signed today, Wednesday (7 September 2022) in Riyadh by Dr. Salim Al-Malik, ICESCO Director-General, and His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, during their attendance at the 23rd session of the Conference of Ministers in charge of Cultural Affairs in the Arab World.

The MoU covers cooperation between ICESCO and the Saudi Ministry of Culture in the fields of teaching the Arabic language and promoting its presence internationally, giving greater attention to literature, translation, publishing and libraries, and to the exchange of expertise and experiences in the field of visual arts, architecture, design and Islamic decorations, digitization of culture, creative industries, sustainable development and culture-related creative economy.

The MoU also specifies the means of implementing cooperation through exchanging official delegations and experts in various cultural fields, the establishment of training programs and work sessions to develop skills, organizing seminars for specialists, and setting up a joint working group that undertakes the tasks of setting action plans and following up their implementation, and overcoming the difficulties and obstacles facing them.

This agreement is part of ICESCO’s vision and strategic orientation for cooperation with the competent authorities in the Member States to support the fields of culture, especially those related to enhancing the presence of the Arabic language at the international level, benefiting from the specialists’ know-how, strengthening cooperation between experts and researchers, capitalizing on and developing successful experiences.