JEDDAH: A unique four-day event will showcase the Saudi capital as a global, multicultural and international hub for business as well as a heritage center situated at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa.
Called “A Day in Riyadh” and organized by Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), the event begins at the UN headquarters in New York today (Monday).
Two floors at the iconic UN headquarters building have been reserved for the interactive exhibition, workshops and majlis — all of which are part of the event.
In his welcoming remarks on the website dedicated to the event, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar said Riyadh was the starting point for the late King Abdul Aziz’s journey to unify much of the Arabian Peninsula, and lead it toward tremendous growth.
“This is how Riyadh became the capital city of a modern nation, and the witness to a new era,” he said on www.adayinriyadh.com.
“An era in which the Kingdom not only established a new government structure, but underwent massive growth. Today, the Kingdom continues to progress — thanks to Almighty Allah — and is achieving great development and growth in many sectors.”
He pointed out that for six decades prior to becoming Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman was governor of Riyadh and led the city on a developmental journey.
“King Salman, with Allah’s support, held a futuristic vision built on highly-competent and capable institutions and strategic plans for transforming Riyadh into a global metropolis which kept pace with the Kingdom’s political and economic standing in the world,” said the governor.
He said that Riyadh had become a meeting ground for people from different cultures who worked harmoniously together and interacted with the city’s real identity and Islamic culture.
“As the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is a global player and an international trade center. In addition, it is a young city with half of its residents ambitious young people aspiring to contribute to their society while at the same time maintaining their values and principles,” he said.
“‘A Day in Riyadh’ workshops and interactive exhibit at the UN will allow people to experience exactly how Riyadh has become one of the world’s most attractive cities for investment as it simultaneously preserves its heritage and culture,” he added.
“The express purpose of the event is to eliminate the many misconceptions that Americans and the international media have of Saudi Arabia,” said a senior consultant with Qorvis MSL Group, the public relations company working with ADA to promote the event. “This is a historic event,” he said. “Diplomats, media, and ordinary people from around the world will see the human element of Saudi Arabia that is not normally featured in the Western press.”
The senior consultant said the event would highlight Riyadh’s experience in managing the exceptional growth of the city. “It will offer developmental lessons and tools for other cities in the world,” he said.
The opening reception on Sept. 26 evening will be attended by Saudi Permanent Representative to the UN Abdallah Al-Mouallimi and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Planning.
According to experts, the strategic plan of Riyadh — a city with a population of more than 6.5 million — has overcome many challenges and provides a blueprint for smart and sustainable growth.
Since attracting international private sector investment to Saudi Arabia is a critical component of Vision 2030, “A Day in Riyadh” will display the energetic human capital, community friendly plan and the commitment to sustainable development that make Riyadh one of the world’s most attractive cities.
The workshops, beginning on Sept. 27, will be led by Saudi officials, civic leaders, professionals and urban planners. The panel of distinguished speakers and moderators will discuss the overall strategic plan for the city, including projects such as the Urban Observatory and the smart city initiative.
They will also address how to measure key performance indicators in the development sector and how to address the issues and challenges that result from urban development.
Among the panelists and moderators for the different workshops at the event are Dr. Ahmad Al-Saif, former deputy minister of higher education; Dr. Faisal Al-Mubarak, provost and chief academic officer, Al-Faisal University; Yamina Djacta, director, UN-Habitat; Dr. Anas Al-Faris, director of the Center for Complex Engineering Systems at KACST and MIT; Khalid M. Abuleif, adviser to the minister of energy, industry and mineral resources; Khalid Al-Hogail, CEO, Saudi Public Transport Co, (SAPTCO); Hassan Al-Musa, deputy director, Transport Planning Department, High Commission for the Development of Riyadh; Dr. Ihsan A. Bu-Hulaiga, economist and former member of Shoura Council; Dr. Howayda Al-Harithy, professor of architecture, American University in Beirut; Sarah Baashan, adviser, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources; Dr. Nada Al-Nafea, architect and urban designer, faculty member, King Abdul Aziz University; Dr. Mashary Al-Naim, director general, National Built Heritage Center, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage; Dr. Khawla Al-Kuraya, director, King Fahad National Center for Children’s Cancer and Research, member of the Shoura Council; Dr. Hayat Sindi, member, Scientific Advisory Board, United Nations; and Prof. Abdullah Al-Refaee, dean of media and communication, King Mohammed bin Saud University, Riyadh.
Key Saudi event at UN set to showcase Riyadh’s importance
Key Saudi event at UN set to showcase Riyadh’s importance
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM gigaproject a ‘generational investment,’ minister says
- The world’s top oil exporter has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into development projects through the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign fund
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s NEOM gigaproject, a futuristic region being built in the desert, is a “generational investment” with a long timeline, the country’s investment minister told Reuters on Monday, adding that foreign investment will pick up pace.
“NEOM was not meant to be a two-year investable opportunity. If anybody expected NEOM to be foreign investment in two, three or five years, then they have gotten (it) wrong — it’s a generational investment,” Minister Khalid Al-Falih said on the sidelines of the World Investment Conference in Riyadh.
“The flywheel is starting and it will gain speed as we go forward, as some of the foundational assets come to the market,” he said.
The world’s top oil exporter has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into development projects through the kingdom’s $925 billion sovereign fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), as it undergoes an economic agenda dubbed Vision 2030 to cut dependence on fossil fuels.
NEOM, a Red Sea urban and industrial development nearly the size of Belgium that is meant to eventually house 9 million people, is central to Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia has scaled back some lofty ambitions to prioritize completing elements essential to hosting global sporting events over the next decade as rising costs weigh, sources told Reuters earlier this month. NEOM announced this month its long-time chief executive, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, had stepped down, without giving further details.
Asked what effect the departure would have on investors, the minister said the executive had done “a respectable job” but that “there is a time for everybody to pass on the baton.”
Asked if PIF will continue to do much of the spending on NEOM until more foreign funds come in, Al-Falih said it was not binary.
“I think foreign investors are starting to come to NEOM, they’re starting to channel capital. Some of the projects that the PIF will be doing will be financed through global capital pools, through some alternative and private capital. That’s taking place as we speak,” he said.
“So I urge you not to look at NEOM as being 100 percent PIF and then suddenly there will be a cliff and it will go private.”
Saudi Arabia, which is racing to attract $100 billion in annual foreign direct investment by the turn of the decade — reaching about a quarter of that in 2023 — has recently seen more co-investment deals between state entities and foreign investors.
“It’s always been the intent,” Al-Falih said of foreign inflows alongside state funds.
He noted that foreign investors were at times “still looking, still examining, still sometimes questioning,” but that now there was confidence in the profitability of investment opportunities and that “the risk-return trade-offs are very, very fair and positive to them.”
Saudi crown prince extends condolences to Kuwaiti counterpart on death of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable of condolences to Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the passing of Sheikh Mohammed Abdulaziz Hamoud Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah.
In the cable, the crown prince extended his deepest sympathy to Sheikh Sabah and the family of the deceased.
Saudi tech diplomat meets Iraqi PM to discuss digital cooperation
- Deemah Al-Yahya, head of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, commended Iraq’s investment in human capital as driver for growth and expansion of digital economy
- Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy
RIYADH: Saudi senior tech diplomat Deemah AlYahya, the secretary-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization, held talks on Monday with Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, about support for Baghdad’s plans to develop its digital business and artificial intelligence sectors.
They discussed Iraq’s strategy for digital transformation, and the need to create and develop a workforce with the tech skills required to help grow the Iraqi economy effectively, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Though Iraq is not a member of the DCO, an international body that focuses on the digital economy, Al-Sudani said his country is keen to work with the organization to meet the nation’s needs for a skilled workforce in the business sector.
AlYahya commended Iraq for the progress it has already made in terms of investment in the human capital needed to develop the digital skills that are essential to drive growth in a digitized economy.
Iraq has been working in recent years to develop a strategy for digital transformation to help support the private and public sectors and grow the economy. Authorities this month organized the first Digital Space Iraq Forum, which focused on the use of advanced technologies, including AI, to help build a comprehensive digital economy.
The DCO says that since it was founded in November 2020, it has been at the forefront of efforts to curate policies and initiatives to support the digital economy in several countries. Currently, 16 nations are members, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh and Oman. It also has 39 observer partner organizations.
DCO member states have a collective gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion and serve a combined market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70 percent of whom are under the age of 35.
Saudi FM pushes for regional stability at G7-Arab foreign ministers meeting
- In his address, Prince Faisal highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in an expanded session of the second meeting between G7 foreign ministers and their counterparts from Arab nations on Monday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The meeting was hosted in Italy under the theme “Together for the Stability of the Middle East.”
The session, which addressed pressing regional and international challenges, was held with the participation of Saudi, Jordanian, Emirati, Qatari and Egyptian officials, as well as the secretary-general of the Arab League.
In his address, Prince Faisal emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships to address these challenges effectively.
He highlighted the ongoing crises in Gaza and Lebanon, urging the international community to act immediately to secure a ceasefire, facilitate unrestricted humanitarian aid, and progress toward establishing an independent Palestinian state.
He also called for respect for Lebanon’s sovereignty, and renewed international efforts to resolve the crisis in Sudan and alleviate the resulting human suffering.
The meeting was also attended by Prince Faisal bin Sattam bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi ambassador to Italy, the SPA reported.
Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference
- Research aims to improve desalination efficiency
- Makkah’s deputy emir in attendance
JEDDAH: Scientists were awarded prizes for their work in researching desalination and wastewater treatment technologies during an event in Jeddah on Monday.
The third edition of the Innovation-Driven Water Sustainability Conference was attended by 480 experts, scientists, researchers, specialists and 40 leading organizations in the water sector, from 20 countries.
The grand prize — the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024 — went to Lee Nuang Sim from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University for his project “uncovering the power of centrifugal reverse osmosis,” and Sue Mecham, CEO of NALA Membranes, for her project “chlorine stable new membranes for sustainable desalination and wastewater treatment/reuse.”
Mecham, from North Carolina, US, spoke to Arab News after receiving her award, saying: “We are honored to be selected for the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024. Our mission is to bring new membranes to market and reduce the cost and complexity of water purification.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Ghadeer Al-Balawi from the University of Tabuk was another one of this year’s prizewinners with her project “novel heterogeneous catalysts for improving wastewater treatment plants in Saudi Arabia.”
Al-Balawi told Arab News: “I am incredibly honored to be one of the recipients of the Global Prize for Innovation in Desalination 2024. This recognition means so much to me. This project has been conducted at the University of Sheffield with hard work and dedication with the assistance of my supervisor, Dr. Marco Conte.”
The event’s opening ceremony was attended by Makkah Deputy Emir Prince Saud bin Mishal and Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley, as well as other senior officials.
Following the opening, Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, chairman of the Saudi Water Authority, said that the event reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting scientific and research innovation as a pillar for achieving water sustainability and security.
Through the conference, the SWA aims to share the impact of innovation in promoting the sustainable supply of water, according to SWA spokesperson Sultan Al-Rajhi.
“This conference discusses the latest global practices and innovative solutions in the water industry, with the participation of experts, scientists and specialists, who emphasize the pivotal role of innovation in accelerating the future prosperity of water and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for water and the environment,” he said.
The two-day conference will continue to feature discussions on more than 180 research papers, as well as a water hackathon organized by the Saudi Water Innovation Center.
