Riyadh: Today, the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), launched in 2021 by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Saudi Green Initiative, announced that the 2024 edition of the SGI Forum will take place 3-4 December under the theme “Action is in our nature”.

The 2024 SGI Forum will coincide with the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Riyadh COP16 (2-13 December) will be the largest-ever UNCCD conference, the first to be held in the Middle East region and the largest multilateral conference ever hosted by Saudi Arabia.

At this year’s SGI Forum, hundreds of policymakers, business leaders and subject matter experts from across the world will convene in a dedicated SGI Pavilion in the UNCCD COP16 Green Zone. Dozens of tailored sessions will explore best practices, innovations and progress against SGI targets, with the goal to deepen collaboration and scale up action for a greener future.

Since the launch of SGI, significant positive impact has been achieved, with 4+ GW of renewable energy capacity installed; 95+ million trees and shrubs planted and 1,660+ endangered animals rewilded across the Kingdom.

 

Activities in the SGI Pavilion at UNCCD COP16 Riyadh

For the duration of COP16, the Saudi Green Initiative will welcome the public to a 4,000 m2 SGI Pavilion, where visitors can enjoy an interactive journey through Saudi Arabia’s whole-of-society climate and environment efforts in the SGI Gallery. A multimedia showcase and broad range of experts will enable guests to learn more about the 80+ initiatives that have already launched as part of SGI. Visitors can also attend and exchange ideas during daily SGI Talks, an expert-led speaker series that launched in 2023.

The Saudi Green Initiative was launched by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in 2021 to drive climate action across all levels of society and achieve Saudi Arabia’s ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2060. The initiative demonstrates the Kingdom’s dedication to improving quality of life for current and future generations and addressing environmental challenges facing the region including high temperatures, low rainfall, dust storms and desertification.

More information about the upcoming SGI Forum is available on greeninitiatives.gov.sa.

About SGI Forum

The first SGI Forum took place in Riyadh in October 2021, and saw His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveil Saudi Arabia’s 2060 net zero goal.

In 2022, the SGI Forum was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in tandem with UNFCCC COP27. The event revealed major climate action projects, including the launch of a circular carbon economy knowledge hub, and the establishment of a regional center for advancing emissions reduction with UNESCWA.

In 2023, the third SGI Forum took place in conjunction with UNFCCC COP28 in Dubai. During the event, the Kingdom unveiled a 300% increase in installed renewable energy capacity since 2022 and 43+ million trees planted toward the goal of 10 billion.