Saudi Arabia’s entertainment authority to host first IAAPA Mideast trade summit
Firms include Disneyland Paris, Europa Park, Six Flags Qiddiya
Saudi Arabia’s bid to further develop the nation’s booming industry
Updated 19 February 2023
Lama Alhamawi
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority has announced that it would be hosting here the first IAAPA Middle East Trade Summit in partnership with the Global Association for the Attractions Industry — as part of efforts to further boost the nation’s booming industry.
The summit will take place from March 5 to 9 and will mark the first IAAPA participation in the Middle East.
Leading local and international experts are expected to explore new challenges, developments and global innovations in the entertainment sector. The three-day event will include workshops, live discussions, and panel sessions.
Speakers are expected from leading firms including Disneyland Paris, Europa Park, Liseberg, Compagnie des Alpes, Parques Reunidos and Six Flags Qiddiya. Companies will display their products and services.
The summit includes sessions to highlight the latest entertainment projects in the Kingdom. The participants will be able to tour some of Saudi Arabia’s entertainment initiatives including Boulevard Riyadh City and Boulevard World.
The IAAPA Institute for Attraction Managers will provide a program dedicated to professional development from March 5 to 7 at the JW Marriott in Riyadh. The program will feature five modules totaling 13 hours led by industry experts.
The IAAPA Middle East Trade Summit is part of the GEA’s efforts to develop the entertainment sector in line with international best practice, to meet growing domestic demand.
COP 29 must be a ‘stand-and-deliver’ moment for climate change, says UN expert
Executive secretary of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change highlights opportunities for progress in combating the climate crisis
Increased access to affordable, reliable funding is crucial for efforts to mitigate climate risks, encourage action and foster sustainable economic growth, he adds
Updated 17 October 2024
Haifa Alshammari
RIYADH: As climate change increasingly adds to the strains on national finances and economies worldwide, it is essential that international climate financing be significantly enhanced, a leading UN expert on the subject said on Thursday.
Simon Stiell, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, added that increased access to affordable and reliable funding on a large scale is crucial for efforts to mitigate climate risks, encourage action and foster sustainable economic growth.
His comments came during a discussion about climate finance at a virtual event hosted by Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program, as he highlighted opportunities to achieve meaningful progress in efforts to combat climate change and advance global development.
Highlighting the finance goals and plans he believes must be delivered next month at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 29, in Azerbaijan, he said: “In the past decade, we have seen some real progress. Over a trillion dollars were invested in climate action last year, globally, up from a few hundred billion a decade ago.”
In 2022, developed countries provided more than $100 billion in climate financing to developing nations, Stiell said. However, even developed countries can struggle to properly address the effects of climate change, which are causing hundreds of billions of dollars of damage in rich and poor nations alike, he added.
“Under Brazil’s G20 leadership (this year), climate and finance ministers have finally been brought together,” Stiell said. “This essential collaboration must continue and be translated into clear outcomes.”
Discussions about financing for efforts to tackle climate change are critical to ensure all countries, in particular developing nations, small islands and the least-developed countries, receive the support they need to help reduce the effects of the environmental crisis and reduce emissions, he added.
“At COP 29 in Baku, all governments must agree to a new goal for international climate finance that truly responds to the needs of developing countries,” Stiell said.
“COP 29 must be the ‘stand-and-deliver’ COP, recognizing that climate finance is core business to save the global economy, and billions of lives and livelihoods, from rampaging climate impacts.”
This echoed a comment he posted on social media network X last week, in which he wrote: “The upcoming COP29 climate conference must be an enabling COP: Delivering concrete outcomes to start translating the climate pledges made by countries in last year’s COP28 UAE Consensus into real-world, real-economy results. It’s time to get the job done.”
The conference next month offers important opportunities to enhance climate financing, establish new global delivery objectives, and generate some much-needed momentum for existing commitments, Stiell said on Thursday.
“Ambitious outcomes at the annual meetings are vital to enable bolder climate actions that boost economies and strengthen societies everywhere,” he added.
Kingdom’s commissions of museums, heritage sign 4 executive programs in China
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan attends signing ceremony at headquarters of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Museums Commission, National Museum of China agree to study, establish bilateral forum
Updated 17 October 2024
Arab News
BEIJING: The Kingdom’s Museums Commission and its Heritage Commission on Thursday signed four executive programs with a number of Chinese cultural institutions at Beijing’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who is the chairman of the board of directors of both commissions, attended the ceremony, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The first program, signed by the Museums Commission and the Shanghai Museum, focused on the long-term loans of artworks and archaeological collections, in addition to future cooperation in hosting the Kingdom’s Art Exhibition, featuring contemporary Saudi artists and organized by the Museums Commission at the Shanghai Museum.
The second program was an agreement between the Museums Commission and the National Museum of China to study and establish a joint bilateral forum, in addition to an agreement on long-term loans of artworks and archaeological collections from the National Museum of China. There is also to be an exchange of exhibitions in 2025-2026 as the Saudi Musical Instruments Exhibition and the Kingdom’s Art Exhibition are to be hosted in China.
The third program, which was between the Museums Commission and the Chinese Palace Museum, looked to cooperate in the field of long-term loans of artworks and archaeological collections.
The fourth agreement, between the Heritage Commission and the Chinese Cultural Heritage Administration, agreed to renew the license for excavation work at the Al-Sereen archaeological site.
The programs are in the context of strengthening cultural relations between the two countries. They are part of the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and other cultural bodies to open new horizons for Saudi culture by promoting international cultural exchange, which is one of the goals of the national strategy for culture under the umbrella of Saudi Vision 2030.
Interior Ministry extends 50 percent reduction on accumulated traffic fines
The Ministry urged all drivers to adhere to traffic regulations to guarantee road safety
Updated 17 October 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The Ministry of Interior, following the directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has extended for six additional months the 50 percent reduction period on accumulated traffic fines for violations incurred before April 18, 2024.
The Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday that the Interior Ministry urged all drivers to adhere to traffic regulations to guarantee road safety.
The ministry added that all violators could reduce 50 percent of their fines by settling all accumulated traffic violations by April 18, 2025, by paying their fines at once or by settling each violation individually while also refraining from committing violations that jeopardize public safety.
Riyadh named Arab Environment Capital for the next two years
The city is making progress on its Green Riyadh initiative, part of Vision 2030, which aims to plant 7.5 million trees across the desert metropolis
Updated 17 October 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: Riyadh has been named Arab Environment Capital for the next two years, during a meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The city is making progress on its Green Riyadh initiative, part of Vision 2030, which aims to plant 7.5 million trees across the desert metropolis.
Some of the stated goals of the program include increasing the city’s level of green cover to 9 percent, up from 1.5 percent.
Green Riyadh also hopes to increase the area of green spaces per capita 16-fold, from 1.7 sq. meters to 28 sq. meters.
By 2030, the initiative also hopes to improve air quality in the capital, reducing carbon dioxide levels by 3-6 percent while increasing oxygen levels and reducing temperatures by 1.5C to 2C.
Another significant environmental initiative in the city is the under-construction King Salman Park, which is set to be the largest urban park in the world.
Riyadh takes on the mantle of Arab Environmental Capital from its previous holder, Abu Dhabi.
The announcement was made during the 35th session of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, which took place in Jeddah from Oct. 13 to 17.
The event, organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in collaboration with the Arab League, brought together environment ministers from Arab countries and representatives from regional and international organizations to discuss pressing environmental issues facing the Arab world.
During his opening speech, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to advancing environmental goals as part of its Vision 2030.
The under-construction King Salman Park is set to be the largest urban park in the world. (Supplied)
He highlighted the significance of Saudi Arabia’s leadership in launching key initiatives such as the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, which aim to tackle major challenges such as desertification, biodiversity loss and water scarcity.
“We are committed to combating environmental challenges and hope the outcomes of this session will help garner international support for restoring degraded lands and increasing resilience to drought,” Al-Fadhli said.
The minister further stressed the importance of collaboration among Arab nations and international organizations in achieving environmental sustainability.
This was particularly important, he said, in light of Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in Riyadh in December.
He called for active participation from all sectors, including governments, private companies and civil society, to ensure the success of the conference.
Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, highlighted the water crisis in the Arab region, pointing out that it holds just 2 percent of the world’s renewable water resources, making it one of the regions most affected by drought and desertification.
Thiaw urged the Arab world to invest in land restoration and build resilience against future droughts to meet the increasing food demand, which is expected to double in the coming decades.
The session concluded with a series of key resolutions including the recognition of the Saudi Green Initiative as the Outstanding Environmental Project in the public sector.
The council also urged Arab nations to join the Middle East Green Initiative and to participate actively in COP16.
Discussions covered a wide range of topics, including climate change, biodiversity and cooperation in implementing international environmental agreements.
Darah releases 19 volumes of Saudi historian Ibrahim bin Issa’s works
The works consist of 19 volumes, encompassing the writings of the historian as well as his summaries and correspondences, shedding light on his time
Updated 17 October 2024
Hebshi Alshammari
RIYADH: Prince Faisal bin Salman, chairman of the board of directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, inaugurated the launch ceremony of the complete works of Saudi historian Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Issa on Wednesday at Darah headquarters.
These works consist of 19 volumes, encompassing the writings of the historian as well as his summaries and correspondences, shedding light on his time.
Speaking on behalf of his family Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, expressed the family’s gratitude and appreciation to Darah (the foundation) for this honor, which celebrates their ancestor’s scholarly legacy.
He said that the publication documents the historian’s long academic journey, characterized by precision and objectivity in various scientific fields.
He also expressed the family’s pride that this work will serve as an important reference for researchers and those interested in Saudi history and culture.
Furthermore, he praised the tremendous efforts made by Darah in realizing this monumental project, noting that this recognition reflects the significance of knowledge in strengthening national identity.
The work on the project took several years and went through numerous stages, involving a team of about 20 people, said Dr. Fahd Al-Samari, secretary-general of Darah.
Al-Samari told Arab News: “The project followed a clear methodology, where we gathered as much of the heritage of historian Ibrahim bin Issa as possible and conducted a thorough investigation.”
Given the project’s scale and the diversity of fields covered, which include religious, historical, linguistic and geographical arts, several specialized committees were formed for the project, including the supervisory committee, the text editing and verification committee, and the manuscript and document collection committee, Al-Samari added.
Bin Issa relied on more than 700 sources for his work, including 570 manuscripts and documents from across the Kingdom, while the remaining sources were distributed between Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq, and the US.
Bin Issa was born in 1854 in Ushaiger town, 200 kilometers northwest of Riyadh, and lived for about 71 years. He was a scholar, historian and genealogist, and one of the most prominent historians of the Najd region.
Al-Samari pointed out that Darah was established to fulfill a noble mission, which is to serve the history of Saudi Arabia, its geography, and its intellectual literature, as well as to collect various historical sources, including documents related to the Kingdom, classify them, and enrich the historical library with scientific research.
Darah has devoted special attention to the prominent figures of the Kingdom, honoring their rights, highlighting achievements, celebrating contributions, appreciating efforts, and acknowledging their glory.
“Since establishment, Saudi Arabia has sought to make knowledge the foundation for building the state. Under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom has witnessed a comprehensive renaissance in all fields, with the most significant being in the areas of national heritage,” Al-Samari concluded.
