Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - 26 October 2021: At the invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, leaders from the Middle East and Africa and international officials in the environment and climate change sector on Monday gathered for the inaugural Middle East Green Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
During the summit, leaders and attendees reviewed several targeted programs and projects announced by the Kingdom to contribute to achieving the goals of the Middle East Green Initiative.
The ambitious green plans presented will support efforts and cooperation in the region to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions through natural solutions and adaptations by more than 10% of the total current global contributions.
The plans also include planting 50 billion trees in the region, which is equivalent to 5% of the global target for afforestation – the most extensive program of its kind worldwide.
To enable the achievement of the Middle East Green Initiative goals, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced during the summit that it will establish the following:
- Co-operative Platform to accelerate implementation of the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE)
- Regional Hub for Climate Change
- Regional Center for Carbon Extraction Use and Storage
- Regional Center for Early Storm Warning
- Regional Center for Sustainable Development of Fisheries
- Regional Cloud Seeding Program
These centers and programs will have a significant role in creating the infrastructure necessary to protect the environment, reduce emissions, and raise regional coordination.
The Kingdom additionally announced a regional initiative for clean fuel solutions for cooking for that will benefit more than 750 million people worldwide, and the establishment of a Regional Investment Fund for Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) technology solutions. The total investment in these two initiatives is approximately SAR 39 billion and the Kingdom will contribute to financing approximately 15% of it.
The summit also called for increased coordination and joint action to preserve and develop the environment and vegetation cover in Africa, in addition to establishing the Green Initiative Foundation as an independent non-profit organization to support the summit and ensure the implementation of Saudi Green Initiative and Middle East Green Initiative objectives.
The leaders in attendance agreed on the significance of working together as well as developing a regional road map and working methodology to meet these challenges to achieve the objectives of the Middle East Green Initiative. The aim of the initiative is for the sustainable development of the region and the preservation and restoration of biodiversity for the benefit of countries worldwide.
The leaders in attendance expressed their appreciation for the Kingdom’s initiatives and efforts in the field of the environment and climate change. They thanked His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his leadership of these efforts and his kind invitation to leaders and officials at this summit.
The leaders in attendance also agreed to coordinate and hold the summit periodically to develop implementation plans to achieve the objectives of the initiative.
