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09 January 2023
UNIDO and Saudi Arabia to Enhance Cooperation to Support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030
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04 January 2023
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration presented at the 10th International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments
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Story
11 December 2022
Strengthening Rainfed Cereal Production in Saudi Arabia
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Saudi Arabia
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Saudi Arabia:
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30 January 2023
UNIDO and Saudi Arabia to Enhance Cooperation to Support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030
Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), started his official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation between UNIDO and the Kingdom.
Director General Müller met Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and discussed opportunities for further cooperation to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aiming to diversify the Kingdom’s economy.
Müller expressed his appreciation of the efforts of the Kingdom to achieve its Vision 2030 and commended the National Industrial Strategy launched by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in October 2022.
The National Industrial Strategy aims at accelerating economic diversification, making the country a manufacturing powerhouse, and taking the number of industrial facilities from 10,640 at present to around 36,000 by 2035.
Director General Müller also met with Prince Sultan Al Saud, CEO of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, which was set up to promote industrial investment opportunities, strengthen local industry, and enhance its performance.
Müller said, “UNIDO will enhance its cooperation with Saudi Arabia to support the country’s efforts and vision in areas such as agro-industry, responsible mining, energy, decarbonization, digitalization and quality standards”.
During his visit to Riyadh, Director General Müller will meet with Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy, to discuss cooperation opportunities under the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.
Müller will also meet with Sultan Bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development and Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Centre to discuss cooperation beyond Saudi Arabia.
During this mission, the Director General will also speak in the Ministerial Round Table of the Future Minerals Forum 2023 convened by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to advance the mining goals of countries across the Middle East, Central Asia and North and East Africa. The 2023 edition of the Forum aims to connect global policymakers with investors and business leaders across the mining value chain and its supporting industries.
Several site visits are also planned, including a visit to Riyadh Second Industrial City, managed by the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), and to the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu.
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04 January 2023
UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration presented at the 10th International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has presented the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration at 10th International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments (ICWRAE) held at the King Saud University, organized by the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water and Desert Research; the Saudi Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Agriculture; and King Saud University among other partners. The 10th conference took place from 26 to 28 December 2022.
The presentation on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration was made within the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) session of the conference held on Monday 26 December 2022. The session was coordinated by the National Center for Vegetation Cover (NCVC) and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and featured several presentations on the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI).
The presentation was made by Jeremiah Njeru, FAO Saudi Arabia Natural Resources Chief Technical Advisor and introduced Decade aims and features, structure and organization, task forces, pathways for action, and partnership framework. The linkages with SGI were highlighted and the ways the SGI contributes to the Decade elaborated.
Saudi Green Initiative and UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The Saudi Green Initiative directly supports the aims of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It contributes to all three core aims of the Decade: (i) Building more political will for restoration; (ii) Committing and actioning ambitious restoration programs; and (iii) Supporting implementation of the Rio Conventions and attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The SGI and UN restoration decade have mutual benefits. The Decade helps position SGI and its contribution to the global restoration efforts; provides a platform for SGI to collaborate with other global restoration initiatives; provides knowledge and lessons to SGI; strengthens SGI through access to restoration tools and resources; and increases awareness and communication on the SGI globally. The SGI supports the Decade by demonstrating national restoration leadership through ambitious projects and targets and provides lessons and experiences to other countries especially those with challenging dry environments.
Localizing the Decade in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Near East Region
The Decade on Ecosystem Restoration was launched in the region on 23rd March 2022 by UNEP office for West Asia and FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa, together with the establishment of its Regional Task Force and identification of Country Focal Points. The launch engaged many partners in the region including governments, local and international development organizations, academic institutions, and private sectors among others. Following the launch, a series of meetings were organized to introduce the Decade and prepare implementation plans. FAO and UNEP have taken every opportunity to lobby the government, public and private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders to actively participate in the Decade programs and activities.
To start off the regional Decade program, a series of webinars on different restoration topics have been organized throughout 2022. Currently, UNEP and FAO are calling for Restoration Actors from countries in the region and supporting their engagement with the Decade.
Resources for Local Action
The Decade on Ecosystem Restoration provides many tools and resources to support restoration action on the ground. The tools and resources are the results of the work of five core task forces including restoration science led by IUCN, financing led by the World Bank, best practices led by FAO, Monitoring led by FAO, and Youth engagement self-organized by youth organizations.
To access restoration resources and tools, visit the decade website (www.decadeonrestoration.org). The publications section provides an interactive search interface where you can search for resources by year, ecosystem type, resource type, and affiliate organizations. The website also includes a communication materials section with communication resources for media engagements. The resources include editable files that you can download and adapt for your own restoration media campaigns. For more information on the Decade in KSA, you can contact FAO KSA Decade focal point (Jeremiah Njeru) by email (Jeremiah.njeru@fao.org).
About the Sustainable Rural Agriculture Development Project (SRADP)
FAO participation in the ICWRAE was organized within the framework of the Sustainable Rural Agriculture Development Project (SRADP). SRADP is a multi-disciplinary project covering nine components strategically formulated in alignment with the National Transformation Program under the Saudi Vision 2030 and with the aim to contribute towards achieving the national development goal of sustainable rural agricultural development in the Kingdom. The project has been formulated by FAO and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and includes components on natural resources management including forests, rangelands, national parks, and land desertification.
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11 December 2022
Strengthening Rainfed Cereal Production in Saudi Arabia
Rainfed cereals mainly sorghum and millet are widely recognised as smart crops for drought tolerance, climate adaptability, and high nutritional values and cultivated mainly in dryland regions of the world.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sorghum, millet and sesame are grown in over 70,000 ha mainly in the southwestern region mainly by small scale farmers and can be an important source of grains and oil as well as livestock forage and feed products.
In the framework of the ongoing project of the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development
Programme (SRAD) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the importance of rainfed cereals on a national scale is reinforced by bringing together stakeholders to promote cooperation and partnership through consultation and aligning the strategic development of rainfed cereals sector and its contribution to food security and transformation. With strong collaboration with Saudi Reef and the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA), the SRAD project organized the first ‘’National Workshop on Rainfed Cereals Production for Food Security and Sustainable Rural Development” recently in Riyadh.
Increasing the productivity and strengthening the value chain of the three targeted crops namely sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sesame (Sesamum indicum) were the main agenda of the workshop. Some 14 renowned experts were invited from international research centres, including the ICRISAT and ICARDA. About 70 participants attended the workshop including from FAO and several international research centres (ICARDA and ICRISAT) national universities and local institutions.
His Excellency Vice Minister of MoEWA, Mansour Al-Mushaiti in his opening remarks emphasized the importance of present and future contributions of rainfed cereals in the Kingdom. The Deputy Minister of the Department of Lands and Survey, Saleh Al-Luhaidan, and Secretary General Reef Saudi, Ghassan Bakri reiterated the importance of strengthening the role of smallholders-led agriculture growth and development for food security. Mr. Ayman Omer, FAO Saudi Arabia Project Director extended his compliment to the Kingdom’s strong support and recognised its noble initiative is not only towards rural agricultural development but also for food security in particular in light of the current food availability issues due to the ongoing conflict. A panel discussion facilitated by Dr Abdullah Alhendi, National Expert for Rainfed cereals and Mr Khatran, MoEWA Agriculture Expert, was attended by some progressive participation of sorghum and millet farmers from the Kingdom.
The workshop successfully delivered and shared sessions covering i) agri-food systems and rainfed cereal production trends, ii) good practices and advances in rainfed cereals and iii) the role of rural institutions and value chain development for rainfed cereals. Dr Hafiz Muminjanov, FAO Technical Adviser, Plant Production and Protection, in his keynote outlined FAO’s support to members for strengthening dryland agriculture and the One Country One Product initiative for sustainable agrifood systems. The invited experts reviewed the global trends, scientific advances and good practices of the three crops, and provided recommendations for the management of dryland agriculture, rural development in the Kingdom and across the Near East and North Africa region. The importance of the conservation of genetic resources, and inputs, the role of credits, insurance and rural institutions for innovations, income generation and value addition were also discussed. Dr. Kakoli Ghosh, CTA, facilitated the workshop and concluded that it laid a good foundation for showcasing success stories and celebrating the International Year of Millets next year.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sorghum, millet and sesame are grown in over 70,000 ha mainly in the southwestern region mainly by small scale farmers and can be an important source of grains and oil as well as livestock forage and feed products.
In the framework of the ongoing project of the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development
Programme (SRAD) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the importance of rainfed cereals on a national scale is reinforced by bringing together stakeholders to promote cooperation and partnership through consultation and aligning the strategic development of rainfed cereals sector and its contribution to food security and transformation. With strong collaboration with Saudi Reef and the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA), the SRAD project organized the first ‘’National Workshop on Rainfed Cereals Production for Food Security and Sustainable Rural Development” recently in Riyadh.
Increasing the productivity and strengthening the value chain of the three targeted crops namely sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sesame (Sesamum indicum) were the main agenda of the workshop. Some 14 renowned experts were invited from international research centres, including the ICRISAT and ICARDA. About 70 participants attended the workshop including from FAO and several international research centres (ICARDA and ICRISAT) national universities and local institutions.
His Excellency Vice Minister of MoEWA, Mansour Al-Mushaiti in his opening remarks emphasized the importance of present and future contributions of rainfed cereals in the Kingdom. The Deputy Minister of the Department of Lands and Survey, Saleh Al-Luhaidan, and Secretary General Reef Saudi, Ghassan Bakri reiterated the importance of strengthening the role of smallholders-led agriculture growth and development for food security. Mr. Ayman Omer, FAO Saudi Arabia Project Director extended his compliment to the Kingdom’s strong support and recognised its noble initiative is not only towards rural agricultural development but also for food security in particular in light of the current food availability issues due to the ongoing conflict. A panel discussion facilitated by Dr Abdullah Alhendi, National Expert for Rainfed cereals and Mr Khatran, MoEWA Agriculture Expert, was attended by some progressive participation of sorghum and millet farmers from the Kingdom.
The workshop successfully delivered and shared sessions covering i) agri-food systems and rainfed cereal production trends, ii) good practices and advances in rainfed cereals and iii) the role of rural institutions and value chain development for rainfed cereals. Dr Hafiz Muminjanov, FAO Technical Adviser, Plant Production and Protection, in his keynote outlined FAO’s support to members for strengthening dryland agriculture and the One Country One Product initiative for sustainable agrifood systems. The invited experts reviewed the global trends, scientific advances and good practices of the three crops, and provided recommendations for the management of dryland agriculture, rural development in the Kingdom and across the Near East and North Africa region. The importance of the conservation of genetic resources, and inputs, the role of credits, insurance and rural institutions for innovations, income generation and value addition were also discussed. Dr. Kakoli Ghosh, CTA, facilitated the workshop and concluded that it laid a good foundation for showcasing success stories and celebrating the International Year of Millets next year.
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Story
25 October 2022
Together Towards the Goals
The United Nations (UN) Today marks the 77th anniversary of the ratification of the UN Charter, which was signed in 1945 by the representatives of 50 countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The theme of UN Day in Saudi Arabia this year, “Together Towards the Goals”, is also a celebration of 77 years of the evolving partnership with the Government of Saudi Arabia, which entered a new stage this year with the signing of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022 - 2026.
The UN day celebrations this year are in partnership with the UN Global Compact Local Network and is sponsored by its members: Napco National and Tanmiah.
The UN in Saudi Arabia and its partners are celebrating UN Day this year by holding panel discussions on Sustainable Development Goal 17 - Partnerships for the Goals, which focuses on strengthening the means of implementation, and the revitalization of the global partnership for sustainable development by bringing together public and private sector leaders, philanthropists, prominent civil society actors and academia representatives. The purpose of the discussions is to identify and unlock potential partnerships through sustainable development advocacy and connecting local stakeholders supporting the achievement of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
During her opening remarks, H.E Nathalie Fustier, United Nations Resident Coordinator said: “In Saudi Arabia, partnership has been instrumental in the progress we have made in sustainable development. This reminds us that the UN 2030 Agenda will only succeed if all actors from every segment of society work together to drive forward the real change required to deliver the SDGs and Leave No One Behind.”
His Excellency Hattan Bin Samman, General Supervisor of Sustainable Development at the Ministry of Economy and Planning highlighted "Our Partnership with the UN while longstanding is starting a new era today. An era defined by mutual delivery, achievement, and impact on the local, regional and international levels.”
The panel discussions kicked off with a thematic session, discussing corporate sustainability and the role of the private sector, convened, and moderated by the UN Global Compact Network Saudi Arabia with panelists members of the Global Compact Network in Saudi Arabia including Tanmiah, Sadara and Sabic.
The key highlight of the panel discussion revolved around defining sustainability from a business perspective and how it is embedded across different sectors and how it creates impact and business value.
Additionally, they emphasized the role of the UN Global Compact in supporting local companies throughout their sustainability journey which reflects on advancing the agenda of SDGs in the Kingdom.
The following session, moderated by UNICEF, highlighted the critical role of civil society in supporting the government to deliver on sustainable development, such as realizing the SDGs and Vision 2030. The civil society panelists discussed how the SDGs have provided an opportunity for organizations to engage with and motivate grass roots participation across the Kingdom, with a focus on the engagement of young people.
The final session, moderated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) focused on emerging and innovative approaches of partnerships with Academia. The session included representatives from different levels of the academia ecosystem: ministerial, faculty and student. The conversation highlighted how academia is shaping the future of the innovation ecosystem towards the SDGs in Saudi Arabia, what are the infrastructure and tools needed to create a knowledge economy, and how can young Saudi academics play an active role towards achieving the SDGs.
The outcomes and the suggestions of the panel discussions highlighted the need for implementation at the ground level to accelerate KSA’s path to achieving the Saudi Vision 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the need to bridge the gap between the communities and government efforts by the establishment of new long-term and sustainable local partnerships between stakeholders and UN agencies.
Click here for more photos of UN Day Celebration
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Story
25 October 2022
World Food Day in Jazan, Saudi Arabia
This year’s World Food Day (WFD) celebration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was successfully organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture (MoEWA), the Governorate of Jazan, and FAO.
The celebration was organized in the North Corniche of Jizan, Saudi Arabia, and brought together farmers, entrepreneurs, policy and decision-makers, civil society, academia, and other stakeholders to work hand-in-hand toward the transformation of agrifood systems. The World Food Day in Saudi Arabia was honoured under the patronage of His Highness, the Emir of Jazan, Muhammad bin Nasser, and launched in the presence of the Emirate’s Undersecretary, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Al-Saqr, and His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Al-Atif, the Director of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s branch in Jazan Region.
Opening the event, Mohammed Al-Atif highlighted that the celebration in Saudi Arabia aims to deepen community awareness and encourage interest in agricultural development and the preservation of natural resources. In his speech, Ayman Omer, Director of FAO Saudi Arabia’s Programme (OiC), emphasized the importance of transforming agrifood systems to become more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind. He highlighted that the agricultural sector is a fundamental pillar of food security and the national economy in the Kingdom, underscored the significant role of smallholders, and valued the tremendous efforts by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in supporting farmers, encouraging investors and preserving natural resources, and promoting sustainable rural agricultural development. The event continued with displaying the recorded video of FAO Director-General reminding everyone of the high need to accelerate the transformation of agrifood systems to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaving no one behind.
The two-day event on 16-17 October 2022, was structured into workshops, three practical training sessions organized in demonstration farms, and an exhibition, all designed to highlight specific themes under the Four Betters: Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and better life. The workshops discussed the role of agrotourism in rural transformation, the challenges and opportunities of the sesame value chain in Saudi Arabia, the crucial integration of sustainable food production with the environment, and examples of FAO work on the Four Betters in the Kingdom. Three interactive training sessions were simultaneously conducted at three local demonstration farms displaying and discussing technologies and good practices in livestock management, beekeeping, and coffee production.
The WFD exhibition showed the innovative work of twenty organizations representing government’s flagship programmes (including the Sustainable Rural Agriculture Development – Saudi REEF), public funds, private sector, UN agencies, agriculture cooperatives, research centres, universities, and civil society organizations. The two-day event was also enlivened by some local and authentic Saudi cultural dances performed by local youth. Throughout the event, a youth cooperative namely “Moeen Volunteer Association for Community Service in Jazan” supported the success of this memorable event.
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Press Release
25 October 2022
United Nations Global Compact Network Saudi Arabia forms a strategic partnership with Prince Sultan University to advance the UN’s 2030 Agenda
The United Nations Global Compact Network - Saudi Arabia, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan University (PSU), signed a memorandum of understanding to form a strategic partnership to advance the UN’s 2030 Agenda.
The partnership aims to strengthen efforts towards advancing the UN's 2030 Agenda by engaging higher education institutions. The UNGC through various efforts seeks to enable sustainability in the private sector. Additionally, UNGC by partnering and collaborating with academic institutions such as PSU, it reinforces its belief in the power of education, which is also in line with Vision 2030, to narrow the knowledge gap among Saudi youth as well as strive to educate them on responsible business behavior and promote a concrete understanding of diligent corporate management and how a business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalization and its impact on the ethical, social, environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions of doing business. Fundamentally, this partnership intends to not only expose students to corporate sustainability but also develop their business acumen and intuition to become stand up corporate citizens that consider sustainability part and parcel of a successful business enterprise. In essence, such partnerships, allows for the opportunity to prepare the younger generation to become future business leaders that are part of the innovative solutions to the challenges we face, and that corporate sustainability attempts to address.
Ms. Maryam Telmesani, Chair- UN Global Compact Network - Saudi Arabia, commented, “The strategic partnership with Prince Sultan University will definitely curate an experiential learning journey for students focus on sustainability. Through the partnership, we are confident about translating our sustainability ambition into tangible action in Saudi Arabia, inspiring the youth to lead as ambassadors of sustainable living.”
Dr. Ahmed Yamani, President of Prince Sultan University said, “PSU is committed to applying the UN SDG 2030 in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Our strategic partnership with United Nations Global Compact demonstrates our continued SDG commitment to work closely with international stakeholders and positively impact the community. PSU is truly proud to be directly linked to one of the milestone changes in the Higher Education System in this country, and that is the future of private higher education.”
Professor Mohammad Nurunnabi, the Director of Center for Sustainability and Climate (CSC), Aide to the President on Ranking and Internationalization, commented, “We are proud to partner with United Nations Global Compact, given their significant commitments on sustainability. This partnership aligns with our vision to provide the Middle East with quality education of the highest international standard, and our commitment to Saudi Vision 2030. We’re delighted to come together to provide tangible solutions to combat sustainability challenges and accomplish SDG 2030.”
The partnership aims to strengthen efforts towards advancing the UN's 2030 Agenda by engaging higher education institutions. The UNGC through various efforts seeks to enable sustainability in the private sector. Additionally, UNGC by partnering and collaborating with academic institutions such as PSU, it reinforces its belief in the power of education, which is also in line with Vision 2030, to narrow the knowledge gap among Saudi youth as well as strive to educate them on responsible business behavior and promote a concrete understanding of diligent corporate management and how a business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalization and its impact on the ethical, social, environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions of doing business. Fundamentally, this partnership intends to not only expose students to corporate sustainability but also develop their business acumen and intuition to become stand up corporate citizens that consider sustainability part and parcel of a successful business enterprise. In essence, such partnerships, allows for the opportunity to prepare the younger generation to become future business leaders that are part of the innovative solutions to the challenges we face, and that corporate sustainability attempts to address.
Ms. Maryam Telmesani, Chair- UN Global Compact Network - Saudi Arabia, commented, “The strategic partnership with Prince Sultan University will definitely curate an experiential learning journey for students focus on sustainability. Through the partnership, we are confident about translating our sustainability ambition into tangible action in Saudi Arabia, inspiring the youth to lead as ambassadors of sustainable living.”
Dr. Ahmed Yamani, President of Prince Sultan University said, “PSU is committed to applying the UN SDG 2030 in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Our strategic partnership with United Nations Global Compact demonstrates our continued SDG commitment to work closely with international stakeholders and positively impact the community. PSU is truly proud to be directly linked to one of the milestone changes in the Higher Education System in this country, and that is the future of private higher education.”
Professor Mohammad Nurunnabi, the Director of Center for Sustainability and Climate (CSC), Aide to the President on Ranking and Internationalization, commented, “We are proud to partner with United Nations Global Compact, given their significant commitments on sustainability. This partnership aligns with our vision to provide the Middle East with quality education of the highest international standard, and our commitment to Saudi Vision 2030. We’re delighted to come together to provide tangible solutions to combat sustainability challenges and accomplish SDG 2030.”
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Press Release
24 April 2022
United Nations Development Programme Signs the 3rd Phase of the Project with General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GASGI)
Thursday, 21st of April marked the signing of the third phase of the “Advisory Services to the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information” project between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in Saudi Arabia, and the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GASGI) to support GASGI in delivering its new mandate that focuses on promoting surveying and geospatial capabilities.
The completion of the previous phase was instrumental in nurturing the idea of developing the foundation of financial sustainability whereby the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information will achieve a high level of efficiency in all its geospatial products.
GASGI hopes to expand the availability and marketing of its products and to broaden public awareness. The core areas of the project include:
Geodesy
Geospatial Services
Hydrography
Map Production
Institutional Excellence
Establishment of GASGI Academy
UNDP Resident Representative, Dr. Adam Bouloukos, was pleased to continue this partnership , “The key objective of this intervention is to strengthen national capacities for effective geo-spatial surveys, generating national geo-spatial data infrastructure, and generating multi-purpose knowledge from such surveys to boost efforts in achieving the Saudi Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
GASGI President, Dr. Eng. Mohammed Yahya Alsayel, also expressed his satisfaction with UNDP support, in particular the latest training arranged by UNDP and delivered by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea which received significant positive feedback.
GASGI Head of Human resources and National Project Manager of the project, Eng. Bader Althiyabi, “This project will contribute to achieving the objectives of the organization’s regulation Resolution No. (90) in the field of surveying and geospatial information; It will contribute to developing and building national capacities in the surveying sector.”
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Press Release
13 January 2022
Joint Statement by UNICEF Representative Eltayeb Adam and UN Resident Coordinator Nathalie Fustier welcoming The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s decision to resume in-person school attendance
"We congratulate children, parents and teachers on the reopening of schools for the first time since March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
“We commend the Government of Saudi Arabia on the wise decision and call for the reopening of all schools for all children.
“A safe transition for children back to their schools will inspire everyone. Children deserve to live moments of joy inside their schools, and they deserve to learn and dream for a better future through quality education.
“Evidence has shown that prolonged school closures, combined with inequitable access to remote learning for some children, including the most vulnerable, has had a devastating impact on students' learning, health and well-being.
“School closures should be avoided even as the new Omicron variant spreads. Schools must be the last places to close and the first to reopen.”
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Press Release
27 October 2021
United Nations, Sports for All and Fitness Time Centers Launch #Active4SDGs Health and Wellness Challenge
This year, we celebrate UN Day 2021 despite the continued challenges around the world caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been not only a health crisis but has had economic and social impacts. While this global crisis has challenged every government in every country it has also been an opportunity for positive change and transformation.
The UN in Saudi Arabia joins forces with Sports for All and Fitness Time Centers across the Kingdom to recognize the opportunity for change by facilitating a health and wellness campaign #Active4SDGs to advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals through social mobilization of a country wide sport and physical activity through competitive health to motivate behavioral change towards Sustainable Development Goal #3, Health and Well-being.
The aim of the UN Day #ActiveSDGs campaign is to highlight the contribution of sports and physical activity to well-being particularly post the pandemic. It also aims to recognize physical activity and sport’s contribution to the realization of development, and to raise awareness on how simple everyday choices such as physical activity can support the transformation towards sustainability.
“Sport and physical activity are important enablers of sustainable development and Vision 2030 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sports and physical activity contribute to the realization of development through promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.” – United Nations Resident Coordinator Nathalie Fustier
Together the United Nations, Sports for All and Fitness Time Centers under the umbrella of health and well-being launch #Active4SDGs campaign engaging community to join UN Day challenge and demonstrate how people are powerful and active agents for change, and to meet the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is imperative that organizations engage youth, providing tools and resources that support them in their actions to create behavioral change towards health and well-being.
For more information on the UN Day challenge #Active4SDGs Click Here
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Press Release
04 July 2021
IFAD and KSrelief Agree to Jointly Tackle Hunger and Malnutrition in World’s Most Vulnerable Countries
Escalating hunger and malnutrition as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly dire for people living in the world’s most fragile countries. In response, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) today agreed to join forces to help ensure sustainable access to nutritious food.
The Joint Cooperation Agreement was signed by His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, the Advisor at the Saudi Royal Court and Supervisor General at KSrelief, and Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD.
"COVID-19 has amplified the hardships faced by the world’s most vulnerable people, many of whom are now experiencing an increase in hunger and poverty. It is vital for like-minded organisations to join forces to combat this,” said Houngbo. "I welcome this opportunity to collaborate with KSrelief to ensure that people living in the most dire situations can sustainably grow, market and consume enough nutritious food.”
“This agreement is a further step to expand the partnership between Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief, and IFAD aiming to help many people in need and expand the humanitarian scope of Saudi Arabia globally,” said Al Rabeeah. “KSrelief is a leading humanitarian organization that has managed to build a wide network of partnerships aiming to alleviate the suffering of those in need. We look forward to building a solid partnership with IFAD, aiming to widen our scope of work.”
The two organisations share a vision of alleviating poverty and hunger. As part of the agreement, they will draw on their respective expertise and reach, and share knowledge and experience to jointly address malnutrition and hunger. This includes collaborating on the strategy, design and implementation of projects in fragile countries, such as Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
IFAD is an international financial institution and UN agency which has provided more than US$23 billion in grants and low interest loans to help vulnerable countries to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition and increase rural peoples’ resilience to shocks. In 2019, IFAD opened its Liaison Office with the States of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in Riyadh to strengthen partnerships within the region.
KSrelief was founded in 2015 by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to be the humanitarian arm of Saudi Arabia. To date, it has spent $5.26 billion, supporting over 1,600 projects in 68 countries with a focus on women and children, food security and nutrition, health, education, shelter, water, sanitation, and humanitarian and emergency relief coordination.
For Media Inquiries:
Mouhab Alawar
Arabic Communications Specialist, Communications Division
m.alawar@ifad.org
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