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Saudi Arabia, Türkiye Sign 16 Cooperation Agreements

The forum's objective is to explore investment prospects between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. SPA
The forum's objective is to explore investment prospects between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Türkiye Sign 16 Cooperation Agreements

The forum's objective is to explore investment prospects between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. SPA
The forum's objective is to explore investment prospects between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. SPA

The Saudi-Turkish Business Forum kicked off in Istanbul on Wednesday, with the presence of the Saudi Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, and Turkish Minister of Trade Omer Bolat.

On the forum's sidelines, the Saudi Minister witnessed the signing of 16 cooperation agreements worth over SAR2.3 billion between the Saudi side and Turkish companies operating in various investment sectors, including real estate development, construction, and engineering consulting.

The forum's objective is to explore investment prospects between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye and strengthen bilateral partnerships in urban development, construction, contracting, smart cities, and urban development.

This collaboration between the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK) aims to foster cooperation and exchange expertise in the municipal and housing sectors.

During his opening speech, Al-Hogail emphasized that the forum provides an opportunity to improve cooperation, unite efforts, and exchange expertise in the municipal and housing sectors.

Al-Hogail also highlighted the remarkable progress made by the Kingdom in the economic and developmental sectors, particularly municipal and housing. He emphasized the importance of efficient strategic planning to achieve the targets outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.

Al-Hogail expressed his aspiration for enhanced cooperation in real estate development, automation, and infrastructure projects through this forum.

Furthermore, the Saudi Minister emphasized that the Kingdom offers a wide array of promising and diverse investment opportunities within an attractive investment environment. He highlighted the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to construct over 300,000 housing units across an area exceeding 150 million square meters, with an investment value surpassing SAR100 billion.

Al-Hogail urged all Turkish companies to consider investing in real estate development in the Kingdom.

The Turkish Minister of Trade also expressed his satisfaction with hosting the Saudi-Turkish Business Forum, which opens up new avenues for collaboration between the two nations in diverse economic sectors.

Al-Hogail engaged with the Saudi delegation participating in the forum to address the challenges faced by Saudi investors and propose potential solutions. He also attended a meeting with the Turkish Minister of Trade, along with Saudi and Turkish investors and businesspeople, to discuss investment opportunities and areas of cooperation between the two sides.

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Saudi Arabia Advances Climate Action at 2024 SGI Forum with $60 Million in New Funding

A night view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)
A night view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Advances Climate Action at 2024 SGI Forum with $60 Million in New Funding

A night view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)
A night view of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. (SPA)

The fourth edition of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum kicked off on Tuesday, coinciding with the 16th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) in Riyadh.

Held under the theme "Action is in our Nature," the first day of the 2024 SGI Forum witnessed the announcement of five new initiatives, valued at $60 million (SAR225 million), reinforcing Saudi Arabia's leading role in climate and environment efforts.

With total investment exceeding $188 billion (SAR705 billion), the 86 initiatives activated as part of SGI are delivering tangible progress towards the aims of all three Rio Conventions. The Saudi Green Initiative is a key vehicle to deliver Saudi Arabia's goal to create a greener future for all by reducing emissions, combating desertification and safeguarding natural ecosystems.

The Kingdom is advancing towards net zero by 2060, driven by the Circular Carbon Economy approach. Central to this effort is the Saudi Green Initiative's target to reduce emissions by 278 million tons annually and optimize the domestic energy mix to achieve nearly 50% of electricity generation capacity from renewable sources by 2030.

In line with these goals, Saudi Arabia plans to increase renewable energy capacity to 130 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. Of this capacity, 6.2 GW is already connected to the grid, and 20 GW of projects were launched this year. Currently, 44.2 GW are under development—enough to supply more than 7 million homes with clean electricity.

To achieve the goal of displacing over one million barrels of liquid fuel daily, highly efficient gas-fired power stations with carbon capture readiness will provide a total capacity of 42 GW of electricity generation capacity. Four stations with a capacity of 5.6 GW are already operational, and 9 GW are under construction across five stations. An additional 21 GW has been awarded for construction, and 6 GW is to be tendered in 2025.

Construction is underway on one of the world's largest carbon capture, transport, and storage centers in Jubail, targeting the capture of 9 million tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2027. Additionally, the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program continues to achieve substantial energy savings and contribute to sustainable economic development, reducing approximately 539,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily by the end of 2023—a 9.5% increase compared to 2022.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia has planted over 100 million trees and shrubs since the launch of SGI in 2021, alongside dispersing millions of seeds to expand green coverage further and combat sand encroachment.

The Kingdom has also rehabilitated over 118,000 hectares of degraded land—an area larger than 165,000 FIFA-regulation-sized football fields—advancing the interim goal of rehabilitating 8 million hectares by 2030.

Five new initiatives, led by Ma'aden, Morooj Foundation in partnership with the private sector, and the Tanmiah Food Company, represent a $60 million (SAR225 million) investment to accelerate afforestation efforts. These initiatives aim to plant millions of trees and mangroves, scatter 300 million seeds, rehabilitate degraded land, reduce air pollution, and enhance biodiversity across the Kingdom.

Through its afforestation efforts, Saudi Arabia aims to safeguard current and future generations by providing essential protection against extreme heat. These efforts mark a pivotal step toward the country's long-term goal of growing 10 billion trees, enhancing resilience to desertification and improving the quality of life across the Kingdom.

To date, 18.1% of Saudi Arabia's land and 6.49% of its marine environments—spanning nearly 400,000 km²—are under protection, advancing the Kingdom's target of safeguarding 30% of its land and marine areas by 2030.

Saudi Arabia's conservation efforts also reached a series of historic milestones. Since the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative in 2021, over 7,000 endangered species, including the Arabian oryx, Arabian and sand gazelles, and Nubian ibex, have been rewilded in the Kingdom's nature reserves.

In 2024, four cheetah cubs were born—the first in Saudi Arabia in over 40 years—marking a significant achievement under the National Cheetah Conservation Strategy. Additionally, over 110 endangered red-necked ostrich chicks hatched in wildlife breeding centers in 2024, signaling the success of the species' reintroduction, which went extinct in the wild 100 years ago.

The Ibex Reserve and King Salman Royal Nature Reserve were also added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List, further recognizing Saudi Arabia's progress in implementing effective management and conservation programs.