The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 10th Arab Forum on Geographical Names in the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah from November 10--12, 2024.

The event is under the auspices of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information. Under the theme “Strengthening Relations and Ties between Arab Countries in Geographical Names,” 22 Arab nations will participate in the event, together with international organisations, subject-matter experts, and specialists. The 10th Arab Forum on Geographical Names seeks to promote Arab cultural identity, foster collaboration with regional and global organisations, and accomplish integration and expertise sharing among geographical name specialists. In addition to reviewing the operations of Arab nations in this area, the event will cover name meanings and the application of artificial intelligence and geospatial technologies to create unified digital dictionaries that adhere to international standards. Relatedly, Dr. Eng. Mohammed bin Yahya Al-Sayel, Chairman of the National Committee for Geographical Names and President of the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, emphasised that His Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman's sponsorship of this event demonstrates the leadership's strong support for strengthening the Kingdom's position in the fields of surveying and geospatial information. Particularly given its innovative role within the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. Read more about the “Harf” Competition to Promote the Arabic Language in Line With Vision 2030's Objectives