The Crown Prince inaugurated the summit and the leaders agreed on the importance of working together to set a regional road map and work methodology to face challenges in order to achieve goals.

Riyadh - The summit of the “Green Middle East Initiative” issued a presidential statement, the text of which follows:

At the kind invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, the first summit of the Green Middle East Initiative was held in Riyadh, with the participation of a number of Middle East and African leaders and international officials in the environment and climate change sector.

During the summit, the leaders and attendees reviewed the first package of programs and projects announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that aim to contribute to achieving the ambitious goals of the Green Middle East Initiative represented in supporting efforts and cooperation in the region to reduce carbon emissions and remove them through natural solutions and adaptation by more than (10%) of the total The current global contributions, and the planting of (50) billion trees in the region, to achieve (5%) of the global target for afforestation, which is the largest tree-planting program in the world.

In order to achieve the goals of the Green Middle East Initiative, the Kingdom announced during the summit that it will establish an international cooperation platform to implement the concept of a circular carbon economy, establish a regional center for climate change, establish a regional complex for carbon extraction, use and storage, and establish a regional center for early warning of storms to contribute to reducing the resulting health risks. about dust waves, establishing a regional center for sustainable development of fisheries to contribute to raising marine biodiversity and reducing the level of emissions in the fish sector by about 15%, and establishing a regional program for cloud seeding to contribute to raising the level of precipitation by nearly (20%). These centers and programs will have a major role in creating the necessary infrastructure to protect the environment, reduce emissions and raise the level of regional coordination.

The Kingdom will also work to establish a global initiative to contribute to providing clean fuel solutions to provide food to more than (750) million people in the world, and to establish a fund to invest in solutions for circular carbon economy technologies in the region. The total investment in these two initiatives is approximately (39) billion riyals. The Kingdom will contribute to financing about 15% of it. Believing in the importance of the environment and vegetation cover in Africa, the summit called for intensifying coordination and joint action to preserve and develop it, in addition to establishing the Green Initiative Foundation as an independent non-profit organization to support the summit and raise the level of coordination.

Stemming from the shared responsibility in facing common environmental challenges, the leaders agreed on the importance of working together to develop a regional roadmap and work methodology to confront these challenges in order to achieve the objectives of the Green Middle East Initiative, believing in the importance of the initiative’s aspirations for the sustainable development of the region and the preservation of biodiversity. and restore it for the benefit of all countries of the world.

The leaders expressed their appreciation and appreciation for the Kingdom’s initiatives and efforts in the field of environment and climate change, and 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, and agreed to form joint working groups, and to hold these The summit periodically to develop executive plans to achieve the goals of the initiative.

Summit Opening

On Monday, 19 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1443 AH, corresponding to October 25, 2021 AD, Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, inaugurated in the capital Riyadh the work of the “Green Middle East Initiative” summit, with wide international participation led by heads, leaders of states and decision-makers. In the world, to draw a regional map to conserve life and raise its quality, in an initiative by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to make a global difference in preserving nature, humans and animals and facing the challenges of climate change.

At the beginning of the work of the summit, His Highness the Crown Prince delivered the following speech:

Your Highnesses, Excellencies and the State,

Honorable attendees,

Peace, mercy and blessings of God,

Today in your second country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we welcome you to the first summit of the Green Middle East Initiative.

We are meeting today at this summit to coordinate efforts towards protecting the environment and confronting climate change, and to set a road map to reduce carbon emissions in the region by more than (10%) of global contributions.

And planting (50) billion trees in the region, according to a program that is considered the largest tree-planting program in the world, and contributes to achieving (5%) of the global target for afforestation.

Today, at this summit, we aim to work together to develop a regional roadmap and work methodology to enable the achievement of these ambitious goals.

Honorable attendees,

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia believes that traditional energy sources were the most important reasons for the transformation of the countries of the region and the world from traditional economies to globally effective economies, and the main engine and driver towards the fastest economic growth ever known to mankind.

Today, we are initiating a new green era for the region, leading it and reaping its fruits together, believing that the effects of climate change are not limited to the natural environment only, but also include the economy and security.

However, we are aware that climate change is an economic opportunity for individuals and the private sector, which the Green Middle East Initiative will stimulate, to create quality jobs and boost innovation in the region.

Honorable attendees

There are gaps in the climate action system in the region, and through coordinating regional efforts and sharing experiences and technologies, we can achieve accelerated achievements in our initiatives.

To enable this, the Kingdom announces that it will establish a cooperation platform to implement the concept of a circular carbon economy, establish a regional center for climate change, establish a regional complex for carbon extraction, use and storage, establish a regional center for early warning of storms, establish a regional center for sustainable development of fisheries, and establish a regional rain seeding program clouds. These centers and programs will play a major role in creating the necessary infrastructure to protect the environment, reduce emissions and raise the level of regional coordination.

As an extension of the Kingdom’s leading role in developing energy markets, we will work to establish a fund to invest in solutions for circular carbon economy technologies in the region, and a global initiative that contributes to providing clean fuel solutions to provide food to more than (750) million people in the world. The total investment in these two initiatives is approximately (39) billion riyals, and the Kingdom will contribute to financing approximately (15%) of them. The Kingdom will work with countries and regional and international development funds to discuss ways to finance and implement these initiatives.

In order to raise the level of coordination, we announce the establishment of the Green Initiative Foundation, as a non-profit organization to support the work of the summit.

In conclusion, facing climate change requires us to jointly work towards developing technologies and creating the appropriate environment for financing them, preserving the natural resources owned by our region, and enhancing cooperation between us for this.

I now invite the brothers and sisters to participate in the work of the summit and to deliver their words, wishing our work success.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God.

The summit was attended by HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy, HRH Prince Turki bin Muhammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and member of the Cabinet, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior, and HRH Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the National Guard, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency the Minister of Commerce, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, and His Excellency the Minister of Investment, Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih.

The words of the heads of delegations

The Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, expressed Kuwait’s support for international efforts to confront climate change, warning in his speech to the summit that the continuation of climate change will lead to more disasters.

Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II said, “We see hope in the green projects launched by Saudi Arabia, and the educational system should be developed to confront climate change.”

Algerian Prime Minister Ayman Ben Abdel Rahman said that his country supports the Saudi initiative to create a common vision to combat climate change.