The #Unite4Heritage campaign at the Heritage Forum, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia held the Second Heritage and Arts Forum from 17 to 22 April 2016 under the auspices of Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud. It was the second forum hosted by the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society, headed by Princess Adila bint Abdulla Al Saud.

The Forum was honoured by the attendance of many local and international experts and individuals interested in subjects related to heritage and the arts, officials and activists in the field of heritage and the arts, as well as private and public museum managers and owners, and the tourism and national heritage commission. Many officials from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait also took part. A number of round tables presenting national and international experiences were held on this occasion, with a strong focus on all the challenges and difficulties faced by the heritage, and in particular the destruction and elimination of cultural heritage sites all over the world, and especially in Iraq and Syria.

The Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO, through the Forum’s activities, also took part in publicizing the #Unite4Heritage campaign, launched by UNESCO in response to crimes committed against the heritage, on the first days of the Forum, under the auspices of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and President of the Saudi National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Furthermore, at the youth level, young people’s participation in the Forum and support for the #Unite4Heritage campaign were highly influential, with many men and women volunteers to support heritage issues and contribute to raising awareness among the general public. Likewise, the participation of a group of young men and women volunteers, Shim, in making replicas of some local heritage monuments under the slogan “from community to community”, was one of the most memorable events of the Forum, and played a significant role in raising the slogan of the #Unite4Heritage campaign.