The Kingdom of Bahrain has participated in the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from September 10 to 25.

Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) President, attended the opening ceremony of the Committee’s 45th session, held yesterday at the historic Al-Murabba Palace in Riyadh.

HH Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) Director-General, International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) President, heads of delegations and experts attended the opening ceremony.

On the occasion, BACA President asserted that the return of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee’s meetings to the Arab world reflects the growing role played by Arab countries in preserving the world heritage.

He also congratulated Saudi Arabia on assuming the presidency of the committee and hosting its meetings, praising Saudi efforts to preserve cultural heritage.

The 45th session of the UNESCO committee will discuss the inscription of 53 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including three Arab nominees from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Ancient Jericho in Palestine.

It is to be noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain hosted the 42nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2018, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, with the participation of over 2,000 heritage experts from nearly 140 countries.

Source: Bahrain News Agency