Saudi Arabia’s e Ministry of Culture announced the launch of the first professional cultural association in the field of libraries, and the formation of its board of directors headed by Dr. Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Tayyar. This comes as part of the “Establishment of Professional Cultural Associations” initiative launched by the Ministry with the support of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs to achieve Saudi Vision 2030. The first professional association aims to raise awareness of the importance of this field, empower its professionals, support research and studies related to it, and contribute to building policies and standards that regulate the work of the library sector in accordance with the best local and international practices.
The new professional association comes as part of the “Establishment of Cultural Professional Associations” initiative, which aims to form 16 professional associations in 13 cultural sectors, during 2021. These associations will form professional links for Saudi intellectuals and artists, and will provide opportunities for professionals in these sectors to develop their skills, build their initiatives, develop awareness, create support mechanisms, and form an attractive social model for the professionalization of culture and the arts.
Last March, His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud, Minister of Culture, announced his ministry’s strategy for the non-profit sector. This includes the distribution of non-profit cultural organizations in five levels to civil institutions, professional associations, specialized associations, cooperative societies, and amateur clubs, in line with the system of civil associations and institutions.
Another is adopting a number of initiatives that constitute an enabling context for non-profit cultural organizations. The five levels are an expression of responding to the different needs of specialists, amateurs, and those interested in various cultural sectors. The multiplicity of forms and initiatives also reflects the ministry’s interest in expanding the scope of the civil practice of culture and the arts.
The Ministry of Culture technically supervises 46 non-profit cultural organizations, distributed among institutions, NGOs, and amateur clubs in various fields such as heritage, literature, films, visual arts, libraries, architecture, theater, performing arts, translation, fashion, and music.
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