JEDDAH — Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley underlined the importance of strengthened regional collaboration to protect the environment and enhance vegetation cover to boost food and water security, as well as to safeguard biodiversity, preserve ecosystems, and promote climate change adaptation.

Addressing the first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative in Jeddah on Wednesday, he noted that the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) is a significant step toward improving regional governance in fighting desertification, drought, and climate change challenges. Delegates from 29 countries and international organizations attended the meeting.

Alfadley said that the initiative, launched by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in 2021, marks the first regional alliance of its kind, designed to reduce the impacts of climate change across the Middle East and North Africa. He noted that the final version of the initiative's charter was agreed upon during the founding countries' ministerial meeting in October 2022. Alfadley stressed that the Middle East, one of the regions hardest hit by desertification and drought, requires intensified collective efforts to address environmental challenges.

The ministerial council approved the MGI secretariat's organizational structure and its internal policies, according to the final ministerial communiqué of the session. The meeting appointed the MGI secretary general, and the MGI Fund Trustee, and took several other key decisions to enable the launch of MGI's implementation phase. The council extended its deepest gratitude and sincere thanks to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince for launching the initiative during the inaugural summit held in Riyadh on October 25, 2021.

The council reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional collaboration to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought while mitigating their significant environmental and socio-economic impacts. The council also welcomed the accession of 11 countries as regional members of the MGI and emphasized the important role they will play in attaining the initiative’s ambitious objectives. It also invites regional countries to join the MGI.

The council welcomed the United Kingdom's accession to the MGI as a non-regional contributor with observer status. The council encouraged other non-regional countries to participate and underscores their vital role in providing technical and financial support to help achieve regional objectives and address global environmental challenges.

The meeting highlighted the importance of continued efforts by regional member countries to set ambitious future goals and develop policies and national strategies for land rehabilitation and vegetation cover development, aligned with relevant multilateral environmental agreements and conventions. The council urged member countries to incorporate these national targets into the MGI's regional framework.

Moreover, the council pointed out the significance of enhancing international multilateral efforts and the vital role of the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society in addressing the global challenges of land degradation, desertification, and drought while supporting regional initiatives.

The council commended the landmark resolution adopted during the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in February 2024, which focused on strengthening international efforts to combat land degradation and desertification while enhancing resilience to drought.

The council praised Saudi Arabia for hosting the last World Environment Day celebration on June 5, 2024, in Riyadh and also values the United Nations Environment Program for designating "Our Land, Our Future" as the theme for World Environment Day 2024, which significantly contributes to raising global awareness about the vital ecosystem services offered through the different land types and the impacts of land degradation and drought.

The Ministerial Council looks forward to the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to be held in Riyadh in December. The council also called on UNCCD parties and representatives from all relevant stakeholders to actively participate in COP16 as the foremost global platform for addressing land degradation and drought challenges. The council advocates for support of the COP16 outcomes, planning to make it a historic turning point in strengthening global efforts to combat land degradation, halt desertification, accelerate land restoration, and enhance drought resilience.

The council commended the efforts of the Kingdom, in collaboration with regional founding member countries and their representatives in the Executive Committee and ad-hoc Founding Task Force, for achieving significant milestones. The progress made thus far has provided the essential components and enablers for launching the initiative's implementation phase. It reviewed the achievements that introduced the MGI's foundational phase, including preparations for establishing its secretariat general and launching land rehabilitation projects and activities.

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