Kingdom wins presidency of ALESCO’s executive council

Minister details tireless efforts to establish cultural ties with Arab peoples

Saudi Arabia has won the presidency of the executive council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALESCO).

Saudi representative and member of ALESCO’s executive council Hani Al-Muqbel on Thursday was elected president of the council from 2021 through 2023, winning a majority of the vote and with the participation of 21 Arab countries.

Saudi Minister of Culture and chairman of the National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, said winning the presidency reaffirms the Kingdom’s leadership in ALESCO’s fields.

He added that it displayed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to achieve the principles of joint collective work, promoting the bonds among Arab countries within ALESCO.

Prince Badr added that the Kingdom works tirelessly to establish cultural bridges between Arab peoples, and that Saudi Arabia is one of the main supporters of innovation and creativity.

Al-Muqbel extended his thanks and appreciation to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their approval and support throughout the whole process, from the nomination to being awarded the presidency of ALESCO’s executive council.

He also thanked the members of the council for their trust, as well as the former council for its efforts with the member states, adding that he is looking forward to working with the members of the new council to achieve the objectives of ALESCO and promote dialogue and cooperation.

Al-Muqbel has over 18 years of work experience. He graduated from Harvard Business School after completing several executive training programs, including the executive program in developing leaderships, and other programs specialized in the strategic leadership, negotiation, board of directors’ governance, building strategic partnerships, design thinking and business growth from Harvard Business School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and business schools at Stanford, Columbia, INSEAD, and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

He also holds a baccalaureate degree in business management from King Saud University.

In July 2020, Al-Muqbel was honored with King Salman’s trust to represent the Kingdom in the membership of ALESCO’s executive council, after he was nominated by the minister of culture.

He was the executive director of the King Salman Youth Center between 2014 and 2017, then as a member of its board of directors.

He also served as adviser to the secretary-general of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Charity Foundation (Misk) for four years, and was entrusted with the executive management during the foundation phase of the Misk Initiatives Center for two years, and has contributed in registering Misk in UNESCO as the first Saudi nongovernmental authority.

He was also appointed by the crown prince, founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Misk foundation as a member of the foundation’s several boards of directors.

Al-Muqbel currently serves on many committees and boards. He recently worked on a project to nominate the Kingdom for membership of UNESCO’s executive board, and served as the secretary of the nomination committee of the same project in 2019. In 2010, Al-Muqbel was selected to represent the ArabEuropean Young Leaders

Forum.