JEDDAH: A professional volunteering initiative was launched during the fifth Hajj Conference and Exhibition, which concluded on Wednesday in Jeddah.
A joint effort by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the National Center for the Non-Profit Sector, the initiative aims to leverage professional expertise to support organizations and entrepreneurs serving pilgrims.
It seeks to boost specialist engagement in volunteering and advance the Kingdom’s national volunteering goals, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The initiative covers areas such as enhancing the pilgrim experience through nonprofits, developing strategies and business models, ensuring financial sustainability and identifying investment opportunities.
It also focuses on strengthening institutional and human capabilities, applying digital transformation and AI, and advancing performance indicators for the nonprofit sector.
Organized in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program, the four-day event drew local and international delegates exploring the latest services and technologies for pilgrims.
Pavilions featured representatives from Islamic countries, Hajj and Umrah companies, and experts in smart transport, health, security and housing. Government agencies showcased new digital initiatives and smart monitoring systems to improve efficiency.
Innovation platforms highlighted crowd management, rapid response systems and advanced health solutions, ensuring pilgrims’ safety and smooth movement, the SPA added.
As part of the conference, a panel on photographic and documentary filmmaking was held on Wednesday, focusing on photography’s role in documenting the Hajj journey and the services provided to pilgrims.
The session highlighted the human and cultural dimensions of Hajj, describing it as a global event marked by diversity and spirituality.
Speakers emphasized that photography and documentaries preserve Hajj’s visual memory, serving as educational tools that convey pilgrims’ experiences and emotions while showcasing the Kingdom’s efforts to serve them.
Arab photographers shared their experiences, noting photography’s universal power to transcend language and culture, promoting understanding and human connection among nations.
The discussion stressed developing Saudi photographers’ skills to tell visual stories reflecting Hajj’s values and humanitarian messages, and the importance of modern technologies and collaboration among academic and professional institutions to document the Hajj experience innovatively and professionally.
Another session explored Hajj’s cultural and social dimensions, focusing on the symbols, customs and traditions that shape the collective memory of Muslim societies.
Speakers emphasized that Hajj is not only a religious duty but also a profound human and cultural experience influencing the shared consciousness of the Muslim world.
They highlighted the importance of documenting oral histories and heritage artifacts, and fostering partnerships among universities, museums and research centers to advance scholarship.
Museums and folk artifacts play a key role in preserving Hajj’s memory, as photographs, personal belongings and gifts brought by pilgrims reflect its human dimension.
Speakers said that preserving and exhibiting these items ensures that Hajj’s spiritual, cultural and historical legacy is conveyed to future generations.
