Adel Al-Jubeir to (Maaal): The Kingdom allocated $2.5 billion to support the General Secretariat of the Middle East Green Initiative

Adel Al-Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Saudi Arabia’s Climate Envoy, confirmed to (Maaal) that the Saudi Green Initiative includes more than 80 projects covering various fields, such as afforestation, solar energy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, and converting waste to energy, in addition to identifying and establishing protected areas on land and in the sea.

He added on the sidelines of the (COP16) conference in Riyadh: The Kingdom has achieved tangible progress in these initiatives, as the percentage of protected areas in our country has increased to 20% compared to less than 3% 10 years ago, with a plan to raise the percentage to 30% by 2030.

Al-Jubeir indicated that investments in green hydrogen are ongoing, as work is underway to establish the largest green hydrogen plant in the world in the city of NEOM, which enhances the Kingdom’s position as a global center in this field. In this regard, he referred to the Crown Prince’s launch today of the National Initiative for Red Sea Sustainability, which aims to develop a comprehensive strategy to achieve economic and tourism development, with a focus on the blue economy and protecting the marine environment.

Al-Jubeir explained that the Kingdom also launched the Green Middle East Initiative, which aims to cooperate with countries to adopt the concept of a circular carbon economy, with a focus on afforestation and land rehabilitation. The number of countries participating in the initiative has increased to more than 20 countries, with countries outside the region interested in joining it. He stressed that the Kingdom has allocated $2.5 billion to support the General Secretariat of the Green Middle East Initiative, which will be headquartered in Riyadh, and its goals include planting 40 billion trees, 10 billion of which are inside the Kingdom.

In the context of its global efforts, the Kingdom launched the World Water Organization initiative to provide water to the largest possible number of people, and contributed to global initiatives related to plastics, climate, and desertification, making it at the forefront of countries in these areas.

Regarding justice in global climate policy, Al-Jubeir stressed that the Kingdom relies on its clear actions and great achievements, noting that there are contradictions and political goals among some parties that hinder global efforts to address climate issues. He stressed that confronting climate challenges requires logic, science and cooperation to achieve a better future for future generations.