His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense - emphasized the pioneering role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in combating terrorism and its support for international efforts in advancing development, especially in low-income countries. His Highness referred to the Kingdom’s presidency of the G20 that attached great importance to protecting the planet and launched a number of initiatives aimed at limiting the effects of climate change.

He affirmed the Kingdom’s support for international and regional efforts in cooperation with the African Union to lay the foundations of security, stability and conflict resolution on the continent.

It also affirmed its support for international efforts in combating terrorist groups and extremism for each of the Sahel and Saharan countries, combating terrorism, improving the security capabilities of those countries, and the importance of development in the countries of the African continent and the promotion of investment in them.

This came in the Kingdom’s speech delivered by Prince Mohammed bin Salman - via video call - to the summit facing the challenge of Africa’s funding shortfall, which was held today in Paris.

The text of the word

In the name of of Allah the Merciful

His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron

Your Highnesses, Excellencies and Excellencies

Peace, mercy and blessings of God,

First of all, I would like to thank your Excellency for organizing this important event.

This summit begins to confirm the great concern for the future of the African continent, its states and peoples, especially in light of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, which has no borders and touched all aspects of daily life and people in various parts of the world and has greatly affected the field of health and the economy. The impact of the pandemic has been severe in low-income African countries, where the pandemic has increased the financing gap needed to achieve sustainable development goals, and it is important that we continue to make efforts to overcome this crisis through joint international action.

The most urgent matter is to ensure the rapid and fair global distribution of vaccines, especially in low-income countries in Africa and the rest of the world, which contributes to stopping the spread of the epidemic and returning economic activity to normal as soon as possible. From this standpoint, the initiative to accelerate the availability of tools to combat the Coronavirus (and the Kovacs facility) to make vaccines available is an important achievement, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that support and donate this initiative, but the program still needs more support to achieve its goals effectively.

Your Excellency, Your Highnesses, Excellencies and Excellencies:

The G20 countries under the Kingdom’s presidency in 2020 realized the need to work to support low-income countries in Africa and in the rest of the world to address the pandemic. The statement of the G20 countries at the extraordinary summit held in March 2020 considers that strengthening the health system in Africa is a basis for the integration of the global health system, and the leaders pledged to enhance capacity-building and provide special technical assistance to the most vulnerable and vulnerable communities, in addition to their readiness to mobilize the development and humanitarian funding necessary for these Countries.

Emergency support has been provided to low-income countries, including the launch of the G20 initiative to suspend debt service payments. This historic initiative provided urgent liquidity to 73 of the poorest countries, including 38 African countries that received more than $ 5 billion and launched the G20. For the first time in its history, the Common Framework of Action debt initiative goes beyond the initiative to suspend debt service payments.

Your Excellency, Your Highnesses, Excellencies and Excellencies:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a pioneering role in advancing development in the countries of the African continent, and the Public Investment Fund in the Kingdom has a number of projects and activities in the sectors of energy, mining, telecommunications, food and others in total. 15 billion Saudi riyals, or nearly 4 billion US dollars. The Public Investment Fund intends to continue efforts to search for investment opportunities in the African continent, whether directly or indirectly, in other countries and sectors. The Saudi Fund for Development has been operating effectively in Africa for four decades, during which it provided loans and grants of 580 to more than forty-five African countries with a value exceeding 50 billion riyals, or nearly $ 13.5 billion. The fund also announced an initiative of 200 million euros, or nearly one billion Saudi riyals, to develop the Sahel countries, in partnership with the French Development Agency, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has future projects, loans and grants that will be implemented by the Saudi Fund for Development in developing countries in Africa whose value exceeds 3 billion Saudi riyals, or nearly one billion Dollars during the current year.

Your Excellency, Your Highnesses, Excellencies and Excellencies:

The phenomenon of climate change is a global challenge as it threatens the quality of life for many people and their livelihoods, especially in low-income countries. Accordingly, the Kingdom’s Presidency of the G20 has attached great importance to protecting the planet, as it has launched a number of initiatives aimed at reducing the effects of climate change and the sources of emissions of the most influential gases in the atmosphere, including pushing for the adoption of the concepts of a circular carbon economy and ensuring access to cleaner and more sustainable energy. And more affordable. From this standpoint, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the Green Middle East Initiative, which aims to plant more than 50 billion trees and reduce more than 10% of carbon emissions in the world, and this initiative includes many African countries.

Your Excellency the President, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Your Excellencies:

The Kingdom supports international and regional efforts in close cooperation with the African Union to lay the foundations for security, stability and conflict resolution, among which was the historic Jeddah Agreement for Peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Kingdom also provides support for international efforts in combating terrorist groups and extremism in each of the Sahel and Sahara countries. In support of 100 million euros, or nearly half a billion riyals, for efforts to combat terrorism and improve the security capabilities of these countries. We are currently working with our partners in the countries of the Sahel Community “Sadak”, foremost among which is South Africa, to support the capabilities of the security forces in Mozambique to confront extremist groups to lay the foundations of security, stability and economic development.

The Kingdom’s positions also emphasize the importance of development in the countries of the African continent and the promotion of investment in them. We look forward to holding the Saudi-African summit and the Arab-African summit soon, which was postponed due to the pandemic.

In conclusion, and out of our responsibility as donor countries, we hope that this summit will reach innovative solutions that help the countries of the continent out of the cycle of debt and guarantee these countries the ability to exploit their revenues and their own capabilities and make the investments we offer beneficial to their economies and societies and able to achieve sustainable development that achieves its economic goals. And social issues, such as reducing the unemployment rate and reducing the poverty rate.

We wish that these efforts succeed with all success.

Thanks to all.