Saudi Heritage Preservation Society becomes an official advisory body to UNESCO

Saudi Gazette report

The Saudi Heritage Preservation Society (We are Our Heritage) obtained accreditation as an advisory body to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which in turn is the organization most interested in and encouraging the preservation and protection of cultural heritage worldwide, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said Saturday.

The “We are Our Heritage” Society is the first Saudi and Gulf body to obtain accreditation, which is an international certificate that gives scientific weight and international recognition to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its sponsorship of a nonprofit organization with experience in the field of inventorying and documenting intangible cultural heritage regionally and globally.

Badr Bin Muhammad Al-Asaker, chairman of the society’s Board of Directors, affirmed that this achievement came in light of the unlimited support of the prudent leadership and the Ministry of Culture in the field of preserving the national heritage in all its forms and highlighting it regionally and globally.

He pointed out that this achievement also reflects the experience of the association’s employees and members, as the association embraces an elite of expertise, including two experts accredited to UNESCO, and a mixture of young energies with great passion and interest in the field of cultural heritage.

It is noteworthy that the "We Are Our Heritage" Society has fulfilled the criteria and requirements, on the recommendation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee during the meeting of the 14th Intergovernmental Committee for the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, which was held during the period from Dec. 8-14, 2019.

Based on this recommendation, the official accreditation decision was issued during the General Assembly for the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO in early September 2020.