Connect with us

Buzz

Royal Commission for AlUla and UNESCO announce partnership to share Saudi Arabia’s rich cultural heritage with the world

– Recently signed in Paris, the new agreement is part of RCU and UNESCO’s inclusive cultural development plan to engage with local and worldwide communities
– Newly announced partnership acts as a roadmap to showcase the introduction of Saudi Arabia and AlUla’s physical and intangible heritage on the global stage
– Partnership to set new benchmark in heritage conservation, education & capacity building, nature and creative arts in AlUla
PARIS, Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) today signed a long-term strategic partnership with UNESCO to preserve and promote a cultural landscape of outstanding natural and historical significance in North-West Saudi Arabia.
Signed at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the agreement accelerates the ongoing cultural and socio-economic renaissance of AlUla by further protecting its historical, natural and cultural sites as well as its local culture, by fostering capacity building and knowledge transfer with experts from around the world joining RCU efforts to transform AlUla into a benchmark destination for heritage, nature, arts & culture.
The partnership was signed by HH Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud, Governor of RCU and Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia, with Audrey Azoulay, Director General, UNESCO; HH Princess Haifa AlMogrin, Ambassador, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU.
Audrey Azoulay, Director General, UNESCO declared: “The relationship between Saudi Arabia and UNESCO builds on a long history that extends back to 1946, when the Kingdom became a Member State of our Organization. Today, cooperation between UNESCO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking another important step forward, with a view to accompanying a major transformation of the AlUla region.”
HH Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud, Governor of RCU and Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said: “It is the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, to transform AlUla into a global destination for heritage, nature, arts & culture. The signing of this first-of-its-kind agreement is another significant moment in our journey towards reaching these ambitions and building upon the enduring relationship that exists between Saudi Arabia, RCU and UNESCO. Aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plans and UN Sustainable Development Goals, this partnership will connect AlUla’s past, present and future by harnessing the power of education, science and culture to act as a catalyst for sustainable development model and long-lasting change.”
HH Princess Haifa AlMogrin, Ambassador, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is home to some of the most unique and culturally significant heritage sites, of which AlUla is the most iconic and inspiring. As a global institution that celebrates and protects cultural and heritage diversity, UNESCO will be instrumental in helping to advance RCU’s commitment to fulfil the potential of the AlUla region, its people, landmarks and natural environment through diverse development and economic programmes that reflect Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and UNESCO’s efforts towards Sustainable Development.”
Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU said: “Mutually beneficial partnerships and alliances are essential to our strategy and demonstrate an open and engaged dialogue that amplifies AlUla’s heritage status and show culture’s capacity to be an engine for sustainable and long-term development. The alignment of RCU, UNESCO and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is powering growth, fostering intellectual, cultural and scientific exchange and enabling wisdom to grow on a global scale in full alignment with the 17 UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Our motive for protecting and evolving AlUla is to help bring it to the world, to develop shared knowledge, grow understanding of AlUla’s past and anticipation of its future by establishing it as a destination of global prominence for visitors and residents alike, in partnership with UNESCO.”
AlUla tells the story of 200,000 years of human history. It has been home to ancient civilisations, including the Dadanties, Lihyanites and Nabateans who each left their indelible imprint on the area, most clearly preserved in grand tombs carved into the mountains.
The partnership will see the implementation of knowledge-based initiatives to transform sustainably and responsibly the cultural, heritage and natural landscape of AlUla and establish this vast swathe of north-west Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest living museum.
AlUla’s development will establish it as a unique destination home to a culturally rich local population who are empowered to interact with and inspire visitors through informed story telling.
Leading academics from across the globe will be invited to explore AlUla through immersive opportunities designed to unlock the secrets of ancient languages and societies that are captured in time in AlUla.
RCU will work alongside UNESCO and global experts on key programmes including:
Memory of the World, focused on the preservation of documentary heritage. UNESCO-Kingdoms Institute Fellowships Programme, for researching, preserving, promoting and transmitting heritage. The jewel in Saudi Arabia’s heritage crown, AlUla is part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to unlock its vast cultural, tourism and economic potential. UNESCO and Vision 2030’s Agenda for Sustainable Development are strategically aligned to promote education, culture and science as a powerful platform to stimulate economic opportunities, job creation and growth.
Spanning the next five years and focused on 10 programmes, the new partnership includes the listing of new natural and cultural sites under UNESCO’s taxonomy to protect and promote local heritage and natural landscape and ecosystems. Key sectors that will shape this include heritage conservation, education and capacity building, nature and creative arts, with local people as the main beneficiaries of AlUla’s development.
Helping to open up the long-hidden potential, knowledge and unique culture that make up Saudi Arabia’s identity and heritage, AlUla will act as a laboratory for sustainable development models and conservation practices while also enabling UNESCO to increase its footprint in the region.
The agreement builds on a long history of collaboration between Saudi Arabia and UNESCO that extends back to 1946 when the Kingdom was one of 20 countries to ratify the UNESCO constitution. Over the years this relationship has continued to thrive and develop in both directions; UNESCO designated Hegra in AlUla as Saudi Arabia’s first World Heritage Site in 2008, KSA became a member of UNESCO’s Executive Committee in 2019 and was elected to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee for the first time in 2020.
Note to editors:It is always AlUla / not Al-Ula
About the Royal Commission for AlUlaThe Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established by royal decree in July 2017 to preserve and develop AlUla, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in north-west Saudi Arabia. RCU’s long-term plan outlines a responsible, sustainable, and sensitive approach to urban and economic development, that preserves the area’s natural and historic heritage, while establishing AlUla as a desirable location to live, work, and visit. This encompasses a broad range of initiatives across archaeology, tourism, culture, education, and the arts, reflecting a commitment to meeting the economic diversification, local community empowerment, and heritage preservation priorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 programme.
About UNESCOUNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. UNESCO’s programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1684360/AlUla_Image_of_Hegra.jpgPhoto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1684361/AlUla_Signing_of_partnership.jpg
 
 

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Buzz

Firstsource Partners with Typeface to Launch Agentic Marketing Services

New full-stack offering turns content operations into an agentic growth engineNEW YORK and MUMBAI, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firstsource Solutions Limited (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company, today announced the launch of a new offering — Agentic Marketing Services — in partnership with Typeface, the marketing orchestration engine for the world’s leading enterprises. The offering is designed to help enterprises move from marketing ambition to scale by transforming, implementing, and operating AI-native marketing systems. It transforms marketing operations into a scalable growth engine and delivers measurable top-line revenue growth beyond operational efficiency alone.
  Agentic AI is redefining how enterprises think about the customer lifecycle, and marketing content sits at the center of that transformation. Enterprises deploying AI-driven personalization are seeing up to 40% higher revenue compared to their peers. Content operations is both a growth lever and an efficiency play for CMOs: roughly 30% of CMO budgets go to content; approximately 55% of content work is manual — resizing, localization, brand compliance — while 90% of those manual workflows can be AI-enabled.”At Firstsource, our approach has been about moving beyond traditional boundaries to build adaptive, intelligence-led ecosystems that deliver measurable outcomes. Content operations is now the most disrupted layer of the modern marketing stack, with Large Language Models reshaping the entire value chain — from ideation and production to governance and distribution — making it both the biggest near-term efficiency opportunity and the most exposed surface area in enterprise marketing,” said Ritesh Idnani, MD and Chief Executive Officer of Firstsource.”CEOs and CMOs are not looking for a consultancy that hands off a roadmap or an agency that operates in silos — they want a partner who can transform, implement, and operate marketing systems end-to-end. By combining micro-segmentation, personalization, and deep industry context, we help clients build acquisition, engagement, and retention engines that are intelligent, compliant, and scalable. Typeface brings the AI technology to generate personalized, on-brand, compliant content at scale, and Firstsource brings deep experience in customer operations, especially in regulated industries like banking, financial services, healthcare, and retail. Together, we enable enterprises to plan, build, and run modern marketing — turning content operations into a compounding growth engine and delivering outcomes, not just effort.”The partnership extends the capabilities announced with Typeface’s recent Marketing Orchestration Engine launch — bringing governed AI systems into full-stack marketing operations for regulated enterprises.”AI only transforms marketing when it’s embedded into the workflows that drive real customer outcomes,” said Abhay Parasnis, Founder & CEO of Typeface. “Firstsource brings deep industry expertise and operational rigor in highly regulated environments. Together, we’re helping enterprises turn AI ambition into operational reality, embedding governed intelligence into the systems that power durable growth.” While Typeface provides the orchestration layer that unifies brand intelligence, AI agents, and enterprise systems, Firstsource brings the operational expertise and insights to enable effective decision making and implement and run these systems in complex, regulated environments. Together, they redesign how growth is driven — focusing on the moments, segments, and mechanisms that truly move the needle — enabling enterprises to shift from fragmented activity to scalable, revenue-led execution.Industry view”In retail, seasonality and micro-segmentation are where revenue is won or lost. Every peak moment demands thousands of personalized variants across marketing, service, and customer operations — and the retailers who get this right see real movement on acquisition, conversion, and retention, not just efficiency. What makes the Firstsource–Typeface offering different is that it is not another tool — it is an operating capability. Pairing agentic AI with embedded marketing operations is exactly what retailers need to move from broad campaigns to true lifecycle-driven engagement. For the industry, this is a meaningful step-change in how growth gets engineered.” – Dave Kimbell, Ex-CEO Ulta Beauty; Firstsource Advisory Board Member”Healthcare payers sit on a real paradox: a huge share of member communication is locked inside PHI and claims workflows where the rules are clear and rightly strict — but the biggest lever on affordability lives outside that envelope, in how payers engage members on wellness, prevention, plan literacy, and proactive disease management. That is a white-space opportunity the industry has barely touched. This is where marketing AI services can genuinely move the needle. With micro-segmentation and agentic content, payers can reach the right member with the right nudge at the right moment — entirely within compliant, non-PHI pathways — and shift the engagement model from acquisition and retention to lifelong wellness. That is how you make healthcare more affordable, improve member experience, and strengthen the economics of the plan at the same time. The Firstsource–Typeface offering is one of the few capabilities purpose-built to operate at that intersection of compliance, personalization, and outcomes.”- Paul Sanford, Ex-EVP Operations, Cigna Group; Firstsource Advisory Board MemberAbout FirstsourceFirstsource Solutions Limited, an RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group company (NSE: FSL) (BSE: 532809), is a global intelligence partner to enterprises across healthcare, banking and financial services, communications, media, technology, retail, and utilities. Its inch-wide, mile-deep practitioners work collaboratively to reimagine business process management.With operations across the US, UK, India, Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, and Australia, Firstsource combines over twenty-five years of domain expertise with an agent-first delivery model to design, build, and operate intelligent enterprise operations. Through its Intelligence That Operates promise—powered by Kairos, the operating system that makes it real—the company unifies consulting, implementation, and operations into a single full-stack engagement and underwrites outcomes, not effort, turning deep domain intelligence into a compounding operational advantage for firms in the world’s most regulated industries. (www.firstsource.com)About TypefaceTypeface is a marketing orchestration engine for the world’s leading enterprises, coordinating brand intelligence, AI agents, and enterprise systems across cross-channel marketing operations. Built for large organizations, Typeface combines shared brand intelligence, governed agent workflows, and deep enterprise integration at scale — connecting seamlessly with platforms like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google — to help teams scale what works without sacrificing quality or control. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Typeface enables organizations to operationalize AI inside real marketing workflows, turning brand standards, approvals, and performance signals into coordinated systems that improve over time. Typeface is backed by Lightspeed, GV, Salesforce Ventures, Madrona, Menlo, and M12, and has been recognized by Fast Company, Gartner, TIME, LinkedIn, and Adweek as a leader in AI for marketing. Learn more at www.typeface.ai.Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2515360/Firstsource_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/firstsource-partners-with-typeface-to-launch-agentic-marketing-services-302759005.html

Continue Reading

Buzz

Shaping Future-Ready School Leaders: Woxsen University Leads Design Thinking Initiative for Principals

HYDERABAD, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The School of Arts and Design at Woxsen University, in collaboration with the Public-School Principals’ Association (PSPA), conducted a Principal Leadership Programme on April 27, bringing together 30 principals from leading schools across Hyderabad for an immersive, design-led learning experience focused on rethinking leadership in contemporary education.

Participating institutions included Delhi Public School, Sloka International School (Tukkuguda), Jain Heritage Cambridge School, AVN Vida International School, CMR School (Medchal), and Gitanjali High School, among others. Designed as a hands-on, studio-based workshop, the programme moved beyond traditional formats, enabling participants to engage in collaborative problem-solving, systems thinking, and real-world leadership challenges.The programme was delivered by Woxsen’s Centre for Learning Design (CLD) and the David Dunne Design Thinking Lab, and was guided by the university’s ERS (Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability) framework, reflecting an integrated and purpose-driven approach to leadership development.Through guided design thinking exercises, principals explored new approaches to decision-making, innovation in school ecosystems, and building student-centric learning environments. The interactive format encouraged peer exchange and practical application, making the experience directly relevant to institutional leadership.Rajendra Prasad, President of the PSPA, said, “The School Principals’ Leadership Workshop at Woxsen University was well organized and delivered with great impact. The sessions were highly engaging and insightful, and the programme received overwhelming positive feedback from participants for both its content and overall experience.”Dr. Ashok Pandey, Member of the PSPA Leadership Team, shared, “An inspiring day at the picturesque Woxsen University campus, engaging with exceptional school leaders committed to designing the schools of tomorrow.” Dr. Adity Saxena, Dean, School of Arts & Design, said, “This programme is aligned with Woxsen’s core pillar of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability, reinforcing our commitment to purpose-driven education. We see our role as bridging ideas, institutions, and impact in education, and we are grateful to PSPA and Rajendra Prasad for this meaningful collaboration.”The initiative reflects Woxsen University’s commitment to strengthening the school education ecosystem in Telangana by building leadership capacity and fostering future-ready thinking among educators. Following the workshop, the PSPA leadership team engaged in a strategic discussion with Dr. Adity Saxena to explore future collaboration opportunities.Building on the momentum of the programme, Woxsen University and PSPA are exploring the launch of a structured Principal Leadership Certificate Programme. The proposed initiative aims to institutionalize leadership development for school heads and further strengthen the region’s education ecosystem through sustained, practice-oriented engagement.About Woxsen University, HyderabadWoxsen University, located in Hyderabad, is one of the first private universities in the state of Telangana, India. Renowned for its 200-acre state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, Woxsen University offers new-age, disruptive programs in the fields of Business, Technology, Arts & Design, Architecture, Law, and Liberal Arts & Humanities. Woxsen also houses Asia’s largest Sports Infrastructure, spread over 60 acres. With 175 Global Partner Universities and a strong industry connect, Woxsen is recognized as one of the top universities for Academic Excellence and Global Edge. Woxsen has also secured the QS Business Masters World Ranking 2025, Rank #9 All India, Top 100 B-Schools by Times B-School Ranking 2025, Rank #6, Asia Pacific, Bloomberg Best B-School, and features in India’s Best B-Schools beyond IIMs by Dalal Street Investment Journal 2025, in 4th consecutive year. Woxsen is ranked as one of the Top Professional Colleges in India by Outlook I-CARE for its undergraduate programs, securing All India Rank 12 among the Top 130 BBA Private Institutes, All India Rank 20 among the Top 160 B.Tech Private Institutes, All India Rank 3 among the Top 25 Design Private Institutes, and All India Rank 3 among the Top 30 B. Arch Private Institutes.Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2969917/Woxsen_PSPA_1.jpgPhoto: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2969918/Woxsen_PSPA_2.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1771070/5365059/Woxsen_University_Logo.jpg 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/shaping-future-ready-school-leaders-woxsen-university-leads-design-thinking-initiative-for-principals-302758443.html

Continue Reading

Buzz

Ryan Group of Schools Hosts First In Math® — 24® Game National Tournament in Mumbai

MUMBAI, India, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ryan Group of Schools successfully hosted the first of three National First In Math® — 24® Game Tournaments in Mumbai on Friday, April 24, bringing together some of the brightest young mathematical minds from across Western and Central India.

A total of 124 top-performing students from the West Zone were selected to compete in the live tournament, representing Ryan schools from across the region. Their participation reflects the remarkable scale of Ryan Group’s commitment to numeracy and skill-based learning. Today, 92 Ryan schools across India actively participate in the First In Math® program, with students having collectively solved nearly 3.5 crore maths problems through year-round practice.The live tournaments are a high-energy numeracy initiative centered around the iconic 24® Game series, created in 1988 by engineer-inventor Robert Sun, who also developed the First In Math® program. Designed to make mathematics engaging, fast-paced, and rewarding, the competition sharpens students’ logical reasoning, focus, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.Students arrived with great enthusiasm and pride, ceremoniously collecting their MVP badges along with personalised score cards bearing their seating assignments. The event began on an inspiring note with a message and prayer, followed by spirited cheerleading performances that energized participants and audiences alike.The tournament format tested both speed and accuracy. In the first round, four students were seated at each table, where proctors issued challenge cards one at a time. Each card required students to use all four numbers shown, without repetition, to create a three-step solution equaling 24. The first student to solve the challenge within 15 seconds earned the card’s score value by stating the solution clearly and accurately.After an exciting opening round, students progressed to the semifinals, which featured two thrilling tiebreaker moments, before the final round saw the top four players in each grade group compete for top honours.Final Round Winners were:Champions of Champions (Tablet Winner): Mst. Gaurang Roy, Grade 7, Ryan International School, ICSE, Malad.Grade Group Level Champions: Mst. Nehaan Sethia, Grade 4, Ryan International School, Sanpada and Mst. Varad Gunjal, Grade 6, Ryan International School, SanpadaUnder the visionary leadership of Dr. Grace Pinto, Managing Director, Ryan Group of Institutions, Ryan schools across India adopted the First In Math® program with a clear goal: to ensure that every Ryanite experiences both the joy and the power of mathematics. The initiative continues to build lifelong skills in students, including logical reasoning, critical thinking, concentration, and strong analytical ability.Dr. Snehal Pinto, Director, Ryan Group of Schools, said: “At Ryan Group of Schools, we believe mathematics is not just a subject, but a powerful way to develop confidence, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills for life. The First In Math® — 24® Game Tournament beautifully brings together learning and excitement, inspiring students to enjoy the challenge of numbers in a dynamic and meaningful way. As Ryan Group proudly celebrates 50 years of nurturing young minds, initiatives like these reflect our continued commitment to innovation in education and to empowering every Ryanite to excel with skill, spirit, and determination.”Following the successful Mumbai tournament, the National First In Math® — 24® Game Tournaments will next travel to Delhi and Bangalore, continuing Ryan Group’s nationwide celebration of numeracy excellence and student achievement.About Ryan Group of Schools: Ryan Group of Schools is a premier educational institution in India with a widespread network of 150+ schools across 20+ states and 40+ cities, reaching learners across the country and abroad. Founded on the vision of fostering holistic development and academic excellence, the group is dedicated to nurturing lifelong learners who are equipped to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world.With a rich legacy spanning 50 years, Ryan Group of Schools has established itself as a beacon of educational excellence, combining academic rigor with character-building values.Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2968951/First_in_Math_2026_Ryan_Group_of_Schools.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1687598/5934106/Ryan_Group_Logo.jpg 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/ryan-group-of-schools-hosts-first-in-math–24-game-national-tournament-in-mumbai-302758318.html

Continue Reading

Trending