Saudi Green Initiative 2024 Forum, Gallery, and Talks Conclude with Impactful Outcomes

The Saudi Green Initiative Forum, Gallery and Talks, held during the sixteenth session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16), concluded successfully in Riyadh.

Over the course of two weeks, the Saudi Green Initiative Pavilion saw significant attendance and broad participation from international experts and representatives across various sectors, showcasing the whole-of-society progress on Saudi Arabia’s path to net zero through the circular carbon economy approach. The pavilion also hosted a series of sessions and discussions that explored the many successes that have already been achieved in the fields of emissions reduction, afforestation and ecosystem protection.

Held under the theme “Action is in Our Nature,” the fourth edition of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum took place on December 3-4, convening 50 speakers across 25 sessions. The forum engaged an audience of over 1,500 delegates from the public and private sectors and announced five new initiatives valued at SAR225 million ($60 million) alongside the signing of 14 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs).

At the forum, Saudi Arabia unveiled significant milestones in its environmental efforts since the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative in 2021. The Kingdom has connected 6.2 GW of renewable energy to its grid, with 20 GW of projects launched this year and 44.2 GW under development, enough to supply over 7 million homes with clean electricity.

Since the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative in 2021, Saudi Arabia has rehabilitated over 118,000 hectares of degraded land, equivalent to planting over 100 million trees and shrubs. This advances its interim goal of restoring 8 million hectares by 2030.

The Kingdom has also placed 18.1% of its land and 6.49% of its marine environments, spanning nearly 400,000 square kilometers, under protection, working toward its goal of safeguarding 30% of its land and marine areas by 2030. In addition, over 7,000 endangered species have been rewilded in the Kingdom’s nature reserves.

Every day from 5-13 December, the Saudi Green Initiative pavilion hosted SGI Talks, expert-led discussions that addressed critical topics including ecosystem regeneration, sustainable finance, innovative methane monitoring technologies, and sustainable food solutions. These discussions facilitated meaningful dialogue, actionable insights, and audience engagement.

The SGI Gallery featured five zones with installations from over 40 organizations contributing to the Saudi Green Initiative. The Gallery also included a Kids Zone designed to inspire the next generation of environmental champions, where more than 1,000 schoolchildren from 54 schools met Namour, the Saudi Green Initiative leopard character launched earlier this year to inspire young people to become environmental heroes.