National Culture Strategy

The National Culture Strategy is a national strategy approved by the Council of Ministers on 27 March 2019 to organise and develop the cultural sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Saudi Vision 2030 and its programmes and targets forming its overarching framework.[1][2]

The strategy rests on three pillars and sixteen cultural sectors, within which the bodies and entities concerned with the cultural sector in the Kingdom operate.[2]

On 27 March 2019, corresponding to 20 Rajab 1440 AH, His Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, announced the vision and directions of the Ministry of Culture for the cultural sector, at a ceremony held at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in Riyadh.[3]

The General Investment Authority regarded the approval of the Council of Ministers as an advanced step to enhance investment opportunities in the cultural sector, which is one of the nine most important sectors targeted by the strategy to attract investment to the Kingdom.[1]

The strategy rests on three pillars: culture as a way of life, culture for economic growth, and culture for enhancing the Kingdom's international standing.[2]

The strategy covers sixteen cultural sectors, and the seventh edition of the "Cultural Status Report", titled "A Decade of the Vision", documented a full review of what has been achieved in them, starting from the overarching framework of Saudi Vision 2030, its programmes and its targets.[2]

On 3 April 2019 the Ministry of Culture revealed its intention to launch 11 new cultural entities to carry out the initiatives, among its objectives aimed at restructuring the cultural sector ecosystem and forming its new instruments.[4]

The Libraries Commission launched its strategy to develop the libraries sector in the Kingdom on 27 May 2021, aiming to advance libraries and transform them into comprehensive cultural platforms.[5] On 14 July 2021 the Theatre and Performing Arts Commission inaugurated its strategy to develop the theatre and performing arts sector at a ceremony held at the King Fahd Cultural Center under the patronage of the Minister of Culture.[6]

The Museums Commission presented its strategy at a meeting held at the National Museum in Riyadh, targeting the full readiness and technical completion of museums by 2030, among the museum sector's targets in the Kingdom's vision.[7]

More than eighty cultural professions were added to the new unified Saudi classification of professions with the approval of the Council of Ministers on 17 June 2020, a step that is the first of its kind in the Kingdom's history and that grants those working in the cultural industry recognised standing with society and with government and private institutions.[8]

The issuing of cultural licences and permits on the "Abde'a" platform allows Saudi and resident establishments, practitioners and talents to pursue supportive cultural activities and to contribute to the sector's growth and to raising its efficiency.[9] On 19 June 2025 the Ministry of Culture announced the launch of the fifth round of the "National Cultural Awards" to honour the most prominent achievements of creators across the various tracks of cultural production.[10]

On 24 October 2023 the Ministry of Culture issued the fourth edition of the "Cultural Status Report in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2022", titled "Investment in the Cultural Sector", in about 266 pages across six chapters, the last of which is investment in the cultural sector.[11]

On 3 September 2024 it issued the fifth edition of the report, for 2023, under the title "Sustainability in the Cultural Sector".[12] On 19 December 2024 it announced the launch of the cultural research grants programme and the research priorities for the cultural sector, and defined five key research priorities that can be continuously updated and developed.[13]

In the opening address of the Cultural Investment Conference on 29 September 2025, His Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Minister of Culture, announced the establishment of "Riyadh University for the Arts" as one of the most important investments in cultural education.[14] On 14 March 2026 a royal order was issued approving its establishment under its own regulations, with its seat in Riyadh, as a university specialising in the fields of culture and the arts under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.[15]

On 6 May 2025 the Ministry of Culture signed a memorandum of understanding with the Insurance Authority to cooperate in achieving national targets in the cultural and insurance sectors, by preserving cultural assets and activating the cultural insurance sector.[16]

Q: What is the National Culture Strategy? A: It is a national strategy approved by the Council of Ministers on 27 March 2019 to organise and develop the cultural sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with Saudi Vision 2030 and its programmes and targets forming its overarching framework.[1][2]

Q: On what pillars does the strategy rest, and how many cultural sectors does it cover? A: It rests on three pillars — culture as a way of life, culture for economic growth, and culture for enhancing the Kingdom's international standing — and it covers sixteen cultural sectors.[2]

Q: How was the cultural sector ecosystem restructured? A: By launching 11 new cultural entities, alongside sectoral strategies including the Libraries Commission's strategy, the Theatre and Performing Arts Commission's strategy and the Museums Commission's targets up to 2030.[4][5][6][7]

Q: What forms of support are provided to cultural practitioners and establishments? A: The inclusion of more than eighty cultural professions in the unified Saudi classification of professions, the availability of cultural licences and permits through the "Abde'a" platform, the announcement of the fifth round of the National Cultural Awards, and the launch of the cultural research grants programme.[8][9][10][13]

Q: What are the latest developments in education and investment in the cultural sector? A: The announcement of "Riyadh University for the Arts" and then the issuance of a royal order approving its establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Insurance Authority to activate the cultural insurance sector.[14][15][16]

Since its approval in 2019, the National Culture Strategy has organised the sixteen cultural sectors through three pillars, and it is accompanied by specialised entities and bodies, the "Abde'a" platform for cultural licences and permits, the cultural status reports, the National Cultural Awards, the research grants, and a university specialising in culture and the arts.[2][4][9][10][11][12][13][14]