RIYADH: Officials behind an international initiative to protect coral reefs have invited new proposals for innovative preservation projects to be implemented under an $18 million round of funding.
The Coral Accelerator Program 2023, launched as part of the G20 Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform, aims to support ground-breaking ideas to help save corals and reefs threatened by climate change and other environmental factors.
The deadline for proposal submissions is Nov. 10, and successful projects are expected to be rolled out in late 2024 in countries including Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Maldives, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Honduras, and the Philippines.
The Cordap platform was launched in 2020 by G20 nations to step up global research and development of coral reef restoration and conservation.
Saudi Arabia has already demonstrated its strong commitment to the preservation and protection of coral reefs around the world, pledging $98 million over the next 10 years to support research and development initiatives.
In April, a royal decree approved the creation of the Cordap Foundation that was officially launched in August. The nonprofit organization will serve as the financial arm of the Cordap.
Headquartered at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in Thuwal, it became the first international operating foundation incorporated by the Kingdom, paving the way for other similar bodies to back Saudi efforts to address global challenges.
Two-thirds of the world’s coral reefs have already been lost due to human activity. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, between 70 and 90 percent of the remaining coral reefs could disappear in the next 10 to 15 years if no action is taken.
One in four marine species depend on coral reefs, while they also provide food, income, and coastal protection for 1 billion people. The global economic value of coral reefs has been estimated at around $10 trillion annually through ecosystem services and goods.
The Coral Accelerator Program, launched in 2022, received 89 proposals from around the globe and 14 projects have now been awarded, worth a total of $18 million.
Of last year’s 489 applicants, 51 percent of the lead proposals were from women, and 60 percent of the winners were from low- and middle-income countries, with funding spread across more than 20 nations.
The program is based on the core principles of ensuring that local communities benefit from accessible solutions, promoting global inclusivity, and encouraging the use of open-source solutions under free public licensing.
Carlos Duarte, executive director of Cordap and a KAUST professor, said: “Corals are the rainforests of the ocean, yet they are at risk of functional extinction in the next decade without urgent action.
“For the first time, an entire ecosystem that supports millions of species and people may be lost at the hands of humans.”
He noted that the Coral Accelerator Program 2023 would award projects that had the potential to significantly advance science and technology in high-need coral research areas, including coral aquaculture, cold-water corals, means to preserve and conserve existing corals and limit their early life mortality, as well as approaches that contributed to research and development capacity building.
$18m ideas program launched to protect world’s coral reefs
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$18m ideas program launched to protect world’s coral reefs
- Global initiative aims to save coral reefs from extinction, combat climate change impacts
- Saudi Arabia has pledged $98 million over the next 10 years to support coral reef research and development initiatives
Ambassador holds Mexico independence day celebration in Riyadh
- Festive occasion brought together the Mexican community in Riyadh and friends of the embassy
- Anibal Gomez Toledo: We are celebrating the 214th anniversary of the beginning of our independence from Spain
RIYADH: The ambassador of Mexico to Saudi Arabia, Anibal Gomez Toledo, hosted a vibrant national day celebration in Riyadh to commemorate Mexico’s independence day on Sunday.
The festive occasion brought together the Mexican community in Riyadh and friends of the embassy to highlight the strong ties between Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
The ambassador emphasized the significance of September as a month of celebration for both nations.
The ambassador said that the national day celebration hosted in Saudi Arabia held meaning for both Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
“Mexico and Saudi Arabia started bilateral relations back on September 12, 1952, so within the same month Saudi Arabia celebrates its national day on September 23,” he told Arab News.
“So September is a month of celebration for both Mexicans and Saudi Arabia.”
The Mexico national day festivities took place in the Diplomatic Quarters Cultural Palace and welcomed ambassadors, Mexicans living in Saudi Arabia, Saudi authorities and friends of the embassy in an evening of celebration and music.
“It’s a very significant day. It is the most important day in our history,” Toledo said.
“We are celebrating the 214th anniversary of the beginning of our independence from Spain.
“At that time, a group of leaders headed this movement and they started the call on the night of September 15, so exactly at midnight on the 16th is when the movement started, and that is why we enact this special event that we are having today,” he said.
Guests followed the ambassador’s lead in waving flags and chanting “Viva la Mexico,” a chant that embodies the nation’s continued prosperity and freedom.
Toledo also highlighted a significant moment during the celebrations called “El Grito,” a tribute to the Mexican people’s battle cry when they rose up against Spanish rule on Sept. 16, 1810.
“Grito is the call of our founders when they started the revolution of independence. They called and started to gather, and we do something similar tonight,” he said.
“Saudis are very generous and very welcoming and very warm. We feel this warmth from Saudi people toward us Mexicans and Mexico.
“I have been here for almost five years, and I have this feeling of emotion when I am with a Saudi. We are not only friends but brothers ... I don’t know if we share the same DNA or something like that,” he said jokingly.
“We get along very easily; you can see how Saudis celebrate our day and how Mexicans celebrate Saudi national day.”
The ambassador said that the two countries have been “working closely in the past five, six years.”
He added: “We activated our political dialogue, and now our bilateral dialogue is strong and solid. We have exchanged a number of high-level visits from both sides.”
When asked where he would like to see cooperation grow, the ambassador said that trade and tourism were areas of focus.
“Mexico and Saudi Arabia are G20 countries, two of the 20 largest economies in the world. I think we have great potential to continue together.
“Our bilateral trade surpassed $1 billion; five to six years ago, it was less than $300 million. We are seeing bilateral trade growing, and what I would like to have is to double or triple this figure.”
On tourism and cultural exchange, the envoy said that he “would also like to see more Mexicans in Saudi Arabia and more Saudis in Mexico.”
Toledo said that in May, the embassy signed an MoU between two higher education institutions in Mexico and Saudi Arabia, King Fahad Petroleum and Minerals and the Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico offering scholarships for Mexicans to study their graduate degrees in Saudi Arabia.
Crown Prince meets with Egyptian prime minister
- Mostafa Madbouly conveyed greetings of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to King Salman and crown prince
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Riyadh on Monday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Egyptian prime minister conveyed the greetings of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to King Salman and Prince Mohammed, SPA added.
During the meeting, they reviewed relations between the two countries, prospects for joint cooperation and ways to enhance and develop ties.
The meeting was also attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers for Shura Council Affairs Essam bin Saeed, and the Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Qasabi.
Khalid Al-Falih, the Saudi Investment Minister, and Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan were joined by the Governor of the Public Investment Fund Yasser Al-Rumayan at the meeting.
The ambassadors of both countries and Egyptian ministers were also in attendance.
Jazan club organizes workshop to enhance tourism experience
RIYADH: The Jazan Tourist Guides Club organized a workshop on museum guidance for guides at Al-Alia Museum in Al-Dagharir, Samtah governorate.
The workshop, held under the National Portal for Hobbies, or Hawi, showed the importance of cultural museums and their role in displaying the region’s heritage, traditions, and the preservation of history, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The guides toured the museum, which contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage, enriching the knowledge of the current generation, and providing information for researchers and people interested in history through its collection of artifacts.
The workshop was part of the club’s efforts to prepare tour guides for the job market and train them in museum guiding techniques.
The club holds training sessions at various tourist attractions throughout Jazan, preparing guides for real-life situations.
Its goal is to prepare tour guides to accompany tourists, plan well-organized tours, and create enjoyable tour itineraries for guests of all nationalities, ages, and interests, the report noted.
The workshops also enrich tour guides’ knowledge of the landmarks in Jazan and train them on how to handle different circumstances in which tourists may find themselves, provide accurate information, and create an exciting experience that reflects the beauty and charm of Jazan.
Madarik program trains 1,000 for space sector growth
RIYADH: The Communications, Space and Technology Commission has concluded the Madarik program, which trained 1,000 participants with the aim of furthering Saudi Arabia’s space sector growth.
Participants received intensive training in three tracks: space business, space software and data, and space engineering, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The three-month program was held in partnership with the International Space University in France, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and BAE Systems Saudi Development and Training, with Al-Yamama University in Riyadh as an educational partner.
Courses were conducted in Riyadh and Jeddah, helping participants refine their skills and deepen their knowledge in specialized fields of space science, the commission said.
The program aimed to equip participants to keep pace with Saudi space sector advancements and contribute to a sustainable future.
The first track focused on space economics and project success, the second on data and software for satellite applications, and the third on spacecraft design, maintenance, and control.
Launched in May, Madarik targeted recent graduates, professionals, and specialists as part of the commission’s efforts to regulate the space sector, empower national talent, and promote future space professions.
Golden Pen Award invites Arabic writers to compete
- Top literary works to win cash prizes, movie deals and global recognition
RIYADH: Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh has announced that Arabic-speaking writers can start submitting their works to compete for the Golden Pen Award, granted for the most influential literary work.
The winning scripts may be made into movies by the authority, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Applications for the award, sponsored by Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, will be accepted until Sept. 30.
A longlist will be announced on Nov. 30, followed by the shortlist on Dec. 30. The awards will be presented at a ceremony scheduled to take place in February 2025, which is expected to draw an elite group of writers, intellectuals, filmmakers and actors.
The six award categories are — the grand prize, the novel, the screenplay, the best translated novel, the best Arab publisher, and the audience award, with a total prize value of $740,000.
For both the grand prize and the screenplay categories, the first-place prizes will be $100,000 and the production of a movie, the second-place prizes will be $50,000 and the production of a movie, while the third-place prizes will be $30,000.
In the novel category, there will be eight prizes worth $25,000 each, including the best suspense and thriller novel, the best mystery and crime novel, the best romance novel, the best fantasy novel, the best comedy novel, the best historical novel, the best horror novel, and the best realistic novel.
The best translated novel will receive $100,000, while the best Arab publisher will be awarded $50,000, and the audience award will be $30,000, with public voting to open on the award website at a later date.
Last week, at the inauguration of the Golden Pen Award website, Al-Sheikh said that the website would serve as a comprehensive repository of Arabic novels, screenplays and related content, aligning with large-scale productions underway across the Arab world, particularly in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Sheikh said the Golden Pen Forum would be a special gathering place for writers with free membership. He added that there would be specific criteria for selecting beneficiary members, making it a vibrant focal point throughout the year in the Arab world.
Chairman of the Golden Pen Award Saad Al-Bazei encouraged all Arab writers and authors to participate in the competition, which aims to enrich Arabic content with high-value works.
