RIYADH - His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior, headed today, Wednesday, the Kingdom’s delegation participating in the Ministerial Forum on International Cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, organized by the Ministry of Emergency Management in the People’s Republic of China via video communication technology.

His Highness delivered a speech on this occasion, at the outset conveying the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,

And His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense - may God preserve them - to the participants in the forum and their aspirations that the work of the forum will be crowned with success.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud drew attention to the fact that the world is facing many disasters affecting humans and their capabilities, public health and their economies, the most recent of which was the recent pandemic (Coronavirus), whose painful effects are still present.

His Highness stressed that if the world does not enhance its readiness with all its capabilities to confront disasters of any kind, their risks may be dire for life in general, indicating the importance of this forum to enhance disaster risk prevention and build capacity for emergency management.

His Highness said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attaches special importance to this issue, whether it is related to the prevention of disasters, combating them or dealing with their consequences.”

He added: The Kingdom was and still realizes the paramount importance of disaster prevention and capacity-building for emergency management, and therefore it is always working on everything that can achieve the necessary capabilities to combat, confront and address the effects, whether with regard to updating the relevant regulations in this regard, or building capacities to confront And in this context, the Kingdom took the initiative to establish the National Risk Council, and worked on preparing the national strategy for disaster risk reduction in accordance with the contents of the Kingdom’s vision (2030).

His Highness indicated that the Kingdom took the initiative through the announcement of His Highness the Crown Prince - may God protect him - about the green Saudi initiatives and the green Middle East, whose conferences were held in Riyadh last week, which will chart the direction of the Kingdom and the region in protecting the land and nature, and will contribute significantly to achieving global goals to combat the climate crisis. and environmental challenges.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud stressed that international cooperation in disaster prevention, risk reduction and emergency management is no longer an option, but rather a necessity for people’s lives for a safe, reassuring and stable life, as the Kingdom pays special attention to cooperation with the international system to ensure the exchange of experiences and the success of efforts Through the relevant institutions and authorities, starting with the United Nations.