New cultural commissions established to promote the Saudi Cultural Sector

Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the Cabinet’s approval to establish 11 new cultural commissions under the chairmanship of Minister of Culture.The new cultural commissions will run Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector within its overall specialties and trends. Each commission will be responsible for developing a certain cultural sector and will enjoy a legal personality with financial and administrative independence affiliated with the Minister of Culture.The new commissions include Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, Fashion Commission, Film Commission, Heritage Commission, Architecture and Design Commission, Visual Arts Commission, Museums Commission, Theater and Performing Arts Commission, Libraries Commission, Music Commission, and Culinary Arts Commission.These commissions are mainly aimed at developing and embracing the cultural sector and encouraging its professionals. Each commission will assume responsibility for overseeing one cultural sub-sector to ensure the implementation of highest quality standards. This comes as part of the sustained efforts by the Ministry of Culture to restructure and enhance the cultural sector’s new tools in line with the objectives of 2030 vision.The commissions' role emphasizes on building strategic enhancement in the field of culture. The Theater and Performing Arts Commission would support the theatrical field through fostering the investment and funding opportunities and adopting vocational programs and certification bodies in such a field. The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will efficiently manage the publishing industry in the Kingdom with its diverse areas, such as protection of intellectual rights and building an environment conducive to creativity and development.The Music Commission will make every effort to establish a specialized industry for musical arts within all its aspects and to license sector-related activities in the Kingdom, while the mission of the Libraries Commission lies in developing local libraries and creating an ideal environment for reading. The Culinary Arts Commission undertakes to arrange the rating of restaurants, dishes and chefs, as well as setting regulations related to culinary arts, adopting Saudi and international dishes, keeping record of recipes and publishing them, and introducing Saudi dishes locally and internationally. Besides, encouraging research, studies and development in this field.The Fashion Commission will develop the sector's strategy, standards and principles, in addition to holding local and international conferences, exhibitions, events and competitions related to the field. The Museums Commission will enhance the management and development of all museums in the Kingdom, as well as establishing their regulations, and creating a sustainable environment for investment and cooperation.Through the Film Commission, the Ministry of Culture will work to develop the film-making industry in the Kingdom by encouraging and empowering Saudi filmmakers. The Heritage Commission will be concerned with the development and protection of the national heritage and encouraging individuals and institutions to improve and support such sector. The Architecture and Design Commission will be responsible for managing this field of art and supporting its practitioners, while the Visual Arts Commission will develop these arts and their practitioners through offering educational programs and granting scholarships for the talented.It is worth noting that the objectives of the new commissions will focus on developing the concerned fields within a specific time frame in light of the Ministry’s vision and aspirations. The supervision of such commissions will be referred to the Ministry of Culture, including the follow-up mechanism to ensure their commitment to the Ministry's central goals, represented by promoting culture as a way of life, enabling culture to contribute to economic growth and creating opportunities for international cultural exchange.

April 2, 2020 - 12:00