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.

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.

RIYADH: Saudi authorities publicly unveiled their new Global Harmony Initiative on Wednesday night during an official launch event in Riyadh.

The aim of the initiative, announced earlier this week, is to celebrate and showcase the diverse range of nationalities and cultures among residents of the Kingdom by exploring their professional and family lives, social and recreational activities, contributions to the economy, success stories and cultural integration into Saudi society, organizers said.

The project, a collaboration between the Quality of Life Program, Saudi Vision 2030, the General Entertainment Authority and The Ministry of Media, will include a range of events, performances and shows during Riyadh Season showcasing the cuisines, cultures, fashions, music and heritage of countries including Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

Wednesday’s event, which took place at the Movenpick Hotel and was hosted by journalist Fatma Fahad, featured a video presentation that highlighted the pivotal messages of the initiative, including “No language or culture separates us” and “Saudi Arabia will remain your land and its people are your people.”

After the ceremony, Abdulrahman Majrashi, president of the Center for Government Communication and official spokesperson of the Ministry of Media, told Arab News: “The events will take place in Suwaidi park with the support of the General Entertainment Authority.” 

India’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Suhel Ajaz Khan, told Arab News: “I think it’s a wonderful program; it’s a program to strengthen the bonds between the expatriate communities and the Saudi society. It’s a great initiative.

“We are very happy that the Ministry of Media is taking this step, in association with other agencies, to launch this initiative. It’s a very, very positive and commendable step.

“We have the largest expat community (in Saudi Arabia): 2.6 million people. The Indian community is increasing. In fact, in the past year alone we got 200,000 more people. And I think the numbers speak for themselves. You know, they are here because they feel respected, they feel welcome, they feel at home.”

Khan added that as part of its participation in the initiative, India will host a nine-day cultural festival in Suwaidi Park.

Speaking about his own experience of living in Saudi Arabia, he said: “The quality of life has been great. 

“All of us are witness to the amazing transformation that is taking place in the Kingdom, socially and economically, the kind of economic growth which is there in the Kingdom, the kind of opportunities which are there.

“I think everyone is very, very interested in Saudi Arabia’s story, and relations between India and Saudi Arabia are on a very, very solid footing. We are doing a lot of things together across many domains; in the political and the economic, trade, investment, defense, culture, people-to-people contact, we are very, very optimistic about our bilateral relations.”

Abdulaziz Ahmad, Indonesia’s ambassador to the Kingdom, said: “I think this initiative is very good. We appreciate this event.”

He said he hopes to see the project expand in future and added: “We know Saudi Arabia is growing very fast; faster and faster, right now, under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

“We appreciate this kind of progress and we hope that this kind of progress will give more prosperity for Saudi people, and also give more benefits for bilateral relations between Saudi (Arabia) and the Republic of Indonesia.”

A 2022 census revealed that about 13 million expatriates live in Saudi Arabia, about 40 percent of the total population of 33 million.