Davos 2020: Ministers, top executives in Saudi delegation to WEF

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, center, his wife Hilde, left, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen are seated during the opening session of the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. (AP)
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Updated 21 January 2020
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Davos 2020: Ministers, top executives in Saudi delegation to WEF

  • A large KSA contingent comprising 55 senior figures will be attending the WEF in Davos
  • Around 3,000 leaders from business, public policy, culture and technology will be in attendance

DAVOS: Some 3,000 leaders from the worlds of business, public policy, culture and technology are due to arrive in the Alpine town of Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which begins on Tuesday.

The meeting this year — under the theme “stakeholders for a cohesive and sustainable world” — is the 50th time the annual meeting has been held in the Swiss resort, but it comes at a time of growing global tensions over climate change and geopolitical confrontation.

Last week, the WEF published its annual global risk report, one of the gloomiest ever, with global experts concerned about accelerating environmental damage and potential political flashpoints in several parts of the world.

Saudi Arabia is sending a top-level delegation to the meeting, headed by Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet, with some 55 senior figures.

They include ministers and senior executives from industry, finance and the economy, in addition to many other Saudi participants attending for bilateral meetings and support roles, as well as the event’s legendary networking.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman will attend his first WEF annual meeting since he was named energy minister last year. Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman will also attend.

Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, will attend for the first time as head of a publicly listed company following the oil giant’s successful initial public offering (IPO) last year.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the WEF have grown stronger as the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 strategy has accelerated.

Later this year, Riyadh will play host to a meeting of the WEF under the banner of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the brainchild of Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chairman.

“On the eve of its G20 presidency, we welcome the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia … to shape those technologies in a way that serves society,” Schwab said.

In contrast with the strong participation from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, notably the UAE, Iran has pulled out of the meeting altogether because of the heightened political tensions in the region following the killing of the country’s top general, Qassem Soleimani, in a US strike earlier this month.

President Donald Trump is leading a big American delegation to the event, the second time he has attended Davos since moving into the White House, having missed last year. He is due to deliver a keynote address on the opening day of the meeting.

Climate change and its consequences look certain to be a big topic in snowy Davos, where the temperature rarely rises above freezing.

Greta Thunberg, the young environmental campaigner, is also taking part in sessions, including one on “averting a climate apocalypse.”

She has hiked over the Alps to get to Davos, having pledged not to use environmentally damaging public transport.

Davos 2020 is split across seven key themes: Healthy futures, how to save the planet, better business, beyond geopolitics, technology for good, fairer economies, and society and the future of work.

On climate change, the WEF said: “The Earth is getting hotter, the ice is melting, the oceans are rising, and they’re filling up with plastic. We’re losing species, building up greenhouse gases, and running out of time. It’s easy to feel downhearted.”

On rising geopolitical tensions, it added: “We need to move from geopolitics and international competition to a default of consummate global collaboration. Nations are going to have to change.”

In an effort to change the event’s image as a showy gathering of the global elite, often traveling in helicopters and limousines to the Alpine resort, the WEF has offered to pay half of the first-class rail fare from anywhere in the world to Davos.

 


Saudi defense minister meets senior US officials in Washington

Updated 3 sec ago
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Saudi defense minister meets senior US officials in Washington

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department on Tuesday.
The pair reviewed Saudi-US relations and the shared vision of both nations.
They discussed their nations’ common vision to “overcome shared challenges and promote international peace and security,” the minister wrote on social media platform X. “We also addressed several issues of mutual interest.”
Their meeting was attended by senior Saudi and US officials.
Earlier, Prince Khalid also met US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
On Monday, Prince Khalid met his US counterpart Pete Hegseth and discussed the strategic relationship between the Kingdom and the US.


New Riyadh Metro station opens to the public

Updated 26 February 2025
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New Riyadh Metro station opens to the public

  • Qasr Al-Hokm stop, which covers 22,500 sq. m. across 7 levels and reaches a depth of 35m, links the Blue and Orange Metro lines to city’s bus network
  • The station is conveniently located for government institutions, historical sites, markets and shopping centers

RIYADH: A new station on the Riyadh Metro opens to the public at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City said Qasr Al-Hokm is one of four key stations in the Metro network, serving as a vital hub linking the Blue and Orange lines with the city’s bus services.

The stop is also conveniently located for government institutions, palaces, historical sites, markets, shopping centers and residential neighborhoods in the heart of the city, it added.

The station, which covers 22,500 sq. meters across seven levels and reaches a depth of 35 meters, features a blend of traditional and modern elements in its design, the commission said, which allow natural light to illuminate the interior while providing shade in open spaces. It has 17 elevators and 46 escalators, along with several shops and a shaded public garden.

The Riyadh Metro, which opened to the public on Dec. 1, consists of six interconnected lines with 85 stations. It aims to help address issues arising from the rapid expansion of the capital by reducing traffic congestion and lowering carbon emissions through a more environmentally friendly transportation option. It has already carried 18 million passengers since opening.


Saudi Arabia welcomes holding of Syrian national dialogue conference

Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa greets delegates during Syria’s national dialogue conference at the People’s Palace in Damascus
Updated 25 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia welcomes holding of Syrian national dialogue conference

  • Foreign Ministry reiterated the Kingdom’s position in support of Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia welcomed the national dialogue conference that took place in Syria on Tuesday, the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry said it hoped the gathering at the presidential palace in Damascus would contribute to achieving the aspirations of the Syrian people and strengthen their national unity.

It affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for efforts to build Syrian state institutions and achieve stability and prosperity for its citizens, reiterating the Kingdom’s position in support of Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

Syrians agreed on Tuesday to form a committee to draft a constitution that enshrines justice, freedom, and equality for all, according to a closing statement.


Saudi Arabia’s vaccination commitment sets stage for global efforts

Updated 25 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s vaccination commitment sets stage for global efforts

  • Riyadh forum unites humanitarian leaders to tackle funding and efficiency in aid efforts

RIYADH: Hundreds of members of the humanitarian community are in the Kingdom’s capital for the Fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum as Saudi Arabia strives connect relevant bodies to improve access and funding.

Speaking to Arab News, Thomas Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator said that the biggest challenges in providing life-saving aid worldwide are the lack of funding, lack of access and, an often sidelined factor: lack of efficiency.

“There is too much duplication, too much bureaucracy, too much waste,” he said. “We agreed last week at the IASC (Inter-Agency Standing Committee) that we need to cut through all of that … Yes, we need more money, but we also need to spend the money that we have more effectively.”

Thomas Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator

Attending the conference in Riyadh to connect with the humanitarian community and drive the movement’s future operations, Fletcher was a part of the World Health Organization 2025 Emergency Appeal launched on Monday.

The appeal was launched during a panel session attended by Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, adviser to the royal court and general supervisor of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus Adhanom, and members of other international humanitarian parties.

Another big focal point of the conference was on the eradication of polio, as Saudi Arabia has confirmed $500 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an agreement that will allow the initiative and its partners to help provide 370 million children with polio vaccines and permanently eliminate the disease.

Yes, we need more money, but we also need to spend the money that we have more effectively.

Thomas Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator

Fletcher said that the Kingdom is an exporter of ideas as well as engagement and action on the ground: “You can see by the number of UN agencies who’ve come, the importance of their individual partnerships and that collective partnership for the UN family with Saudi Arabia.

“KSrelief has been around 10 years now and their funding will have saved millions of lives in that time … but it’s not just about the money, it’s about the partnership. It’s about actually sharing ideas and innovations and experience and a knowledge of the region as well.”

Dr. Sania Nishtar, chief executive officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an international public-private partnership providing access to vaccinations for low-income countries, was also part of the polio eradication initiative.

In addition to supporting international health systems and strengthening governments’ ability to inject vaccinations, Gavi works to provide childhood and adult vaccines as well as provide vaccines during public health emergencies and pandemics.

“Over a period of time we are increasingly finding ourselves in situations … in geographies, where there are humanitarian situations in contexts that are fragile,” she told Arab News. “And those contexts are fragile because of armed conflict, because of natural disasters, because of internal migrations. And increasingly we find our scope of work cross cutting with humanitarian operations.”

Gavi has recently incorporated new standard operating procedures to deal with humanitarian situations, and the conference in Riyadh opens doors to furthering those operations through fruitful partnerships.

Nishtar said that the alliance has approached the Saudi government to partner with them for their 6.0 Strategy.

The 6.0 Strategy is Gavi’s next operational plan expected to be in order from 2026 to 2030. It will double down efforts to reach more people and tackle diseases quicker than ever before.

“That is a very important period because the (UN) Millenium Development Goals also sunset during that time,” Nishtar said.

Fletcher said that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs must remain neutral and independent among geopolitical boundaries to provide unfiltered aid for those in need.

“It doesn’t mean we don’t pick a side, it means we pick the side of the people that we’re there to serve … we can’t be pushed around by governments no matter how rich they are.”

Delivering aid in conflict zones is a unique challenge; with the ceasefire in effect in Gaza, OCHA has been able to deliver more than 20,000 aid trucks in one month and provide food to 2 million people.

If the ceasefire collapses, however, as Fletcher noted it was “hanging by a thread,” then OCHA’s ability to provide aid at that scale will collapse as well.

Nishtar added that Gavi has recently made $20 million available for the procurement of vaccines and their administration in Gaza.

According to Fletcher, the new caretaker administration in the Syrian Arab Republic under Ahmed Al-Sharaa has been removing obstacles previously placed by the Assad regime.

There is a big opportunity in Syria, he said, but from food to electricity and more, the needs are massive.

“We’ve got to clear all that unexploded ordnance. We’ve got to help people return to their homes, start to rebuild their lives, their communities. It’s a moment of fragile hope,” he said.

As a humanitarian, Fletcher said that he does not believe sanctions should get in the way of any aid delivery.

The OCHA team is also helping those displaced in Ukraine and providing food and shelter to those fleeing the conflict.

Nishtar said that the biggest challenge Gavi faces in areas of conflict is that the conventional modalities of operation become inadequate.

For Gavi’s Zero Dose Program’s current work in Africa, for example, the International Rescue Committee has partnered with them in 11 countries to provide access to children who have never received a single dose of vaccines.

“So, it’s both the policy side, the institutional framework, the human resource side, the norms, the funding arrangements, and the execution partners that comprise our new approach to dealing with conflict and fragile settings,” she said.

On how climate change and climate-induced food insecurities affect their operations, Fletcher said that it is continually seen that the climate crisis overlaps with existing inequality, poverty, conflict, and political fragility, creating a “perfect storm” of humanitarian crises.

“I think the risk at the moment is that some governments want us to stop talking about climate change, but climate change isn’t going to go away just because of a few elections. For every degree the climate heats up, a billion people will be displaced,” he said.

Climate change also plays a role in the re-emergence of diseases once thought to be minimized or eradicated, such as dengue in many parts of Latin America, malaria, and yellow fever, Nishtar said.

Vectors, the insects that carry certain diseases, start to behave differently with changing temperatures.

“With climate change, you have a number of different catastrophes, there are droughts and floods, and these situations bring additional challenges in their wake,” she said. “I come from Pakistan where there have been massive floods in the last 10 years and every time there’s a flood, you know, there’s a cholera outbreak and there’s a typhoid outbreak.”

Due to the cyclical nature of humanitarian crises constantly giving birth to one another, one of the toughest parts of the job is ruthless prioritization, Fletcher said.

OCHA launched an annual global humanitarian overview where it identifies the present global trends in humanitarian needs and crises.

Their 2024 overview identified 300 million people in dire need of help, out of which 190 million had to be prioritized for action should funding, in the amount of $47 billion, come through.

“Yemen, Syria, occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo are all right up there on that list,” Fletcher said.

Last year, US funding accounted for about 40 percent of the contributions received for the UN-coordinated global humanitarian appeal, so the pause in the US and other nations’ funding has created a difficult monetary environment.

“Almost half of our campaigns are currently funded by the US government. So, to lose that support would be really a huge setback for our work with the world’s poorest people.”

 


Kingdom and Gates Foundation forge ‘strong and growing partnership’

Updated 25 February 2025
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Kingdom and Gates Foundation forge ‘strong and growing partnership’

  • Foundation is preparing to open a regional office in Riyadh to help strengthen the collaboration
  • Organization says it is working with Saudi authorities to protect children from polio and alleviate poverty

RIYADH: The Gates Foundation is working with Saudi Arabia to help protect 370 million children from polio each year and lift millions out of poverty in 33 Islamic Development Bank-member countries, a leading official from the foundation said on Tuesday.

The organization is also preparing to open a regional office in Riyadh, at Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City, to enhance its collaborations with authorities in the Kingdom.

“We have had a very strong and growing partnership with Saudi Arabia for some time. We work together on a variety of issues,” Dr. Chris Elias, the foundation’s president of global development, told Arab News at the 4th Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.

During a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh last year, Saudi aid agency KSrelief and the foundation announced a joint initiative to eradicate polio, improve global health and alleviate poverty.

“As we saw at the signing ceremony in the opening session of the RIHF on Monday … Saudi Arabia signed these agreements with the World Health Organization and UNICEF for $500 million over the next five years for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,” Elias said. The funding provided by these agreements will be allocated to UN agencies that help implement the initiative.

“We also fund WHO and UNICEF,” he added. “So our partnership is that we together give money to the key organizations that are fighting to eradicate polio.

“I currently chair the board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is implemented by WHO and UNICEF, and we have made tremendous progress on eradicating polio from the world.

“We are down to two countries; for the last eight years, the only countries with endemic polio have been Pakistan and Afghanistan. So the majority of our effort at present is to finish the job on the eradication of polio in those two countries.”

Speaking about the Kingdom’s contributions to these efforts, he said: “Saudi Arabia made a very large pledge and, as a consequence, we added a representative from the Kingdom to the governing board of what’s called the Polio Oversight Board for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, that actually reaches about 370 million children a year with immunization.

“The second major component of our collaboration has been with the Islamic Development Bank on the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, that began five or six years ago. After a very successful first phase, we announced the Lives and Livelihoods’ second phase last year, to which Saudi Arabia pledged $100 million.

“And our pledge was up to $100 million, to a limit of 20 percent of the funds, because we have other funders coming in: the government of the UAE, the government of Qatar, as well as support from the Islamic Development Bank itself through the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development.”

Elias also pointed out that the Gates Foundation, a charitable organization established 25 years ago by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his former wife, Melinda, has been working to support UNICEF’s humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.

As for the opening of a regional office in Riyadh, he said: “We are in the process, following through on the registration.”

During the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh last November, the Gates Foundation and the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, also known as Misk, announced Challenge for Change, a program that aims to provide support for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises across Saudi Arabia.

This assistance includes seed funding for researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and nonprofits that have the potential to make a social impact in the Middle East and North Africa, Elias explained.

In Afghanistan, “which has one of the most significant humanitarian situations in the world,” he said that the foundation is working with the Kingdom, the governments of the UAE and Qatar, and the Islamic Development Bank to help strengthen the healthcare system in the country.

“We also work with the Kingdom on disease outbreaks,” Elias added. “We have a partnership, together with the WHO, for the Global Health Emergency Corps that sets out actions to save lives during health emergencies. It involves many countries but Saudi Arabia is serving as a pilot country for that emergency core.”

It is very important to get disease outbreaks under control quickly, he said, and this is something that is particularly relevant in Saudi Arabia, a country that welcomes so many visitors from around the world every year for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

“The Kingdom takes the protection of the holy sites and the protection of pilgrims who come to the holy cities, Makkah and Madinah, very seriously,” Elias noted.

Regarding the recent decision by President Donald Trump to withdraw the US from the WHO, Elias said: “WHO provides important guidance for countries around the world in public health. Gates Foundation is a major supporter of the WHO. The work of the WHO is going to remain extremely important and we will continue to work with them on these critical health issues.

“Our partnership will remain strong with them. I don’t see us being able to step in to replace funding from the US, or anybody else, but we will continue to partner with the WHO on the most important health issues, polio eradication being one of them.”

KSrelief, the Saudi aid agency, this year celebrates its 10th anniversary and Elias said: “We have worked with KSrelief for many of these projects, on the Polio Legacy Challenge and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

“I was very impressed at the forum’s opening ceremony to see they had a wonderful video that documented their 10-year history of humanitarian assistance.

“We have been working with them very intensely for, probably, the last five years. I think it’s really impressive what KSrelief has achieved in the first 10 years. We look forward to working with them for the next 10 years.”