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Saudi Arabia Prepares to Launch World’s Largest Food Sustainability Expo

The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Prepares to Launch World’s Largest Food Sustainability Expo

The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The introductory meeting for the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has unveiled its future plans to enhance agricultural production efficiency and bolster food security in the Kingdom.

The reveal coincided with the holding of the inaugural InFlavour 2023, Saudi Arabia’s biggest F&B event in terms of both gross square-meters and global prestige.

The three-day event at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center, Malham, is expected to leave a major economic impact not only across the region, but also globally.

As for the ministry’s plans for boosting agricultural production efficiency, they include reducing water waste and prohibiting the cultivation of water-depleting crops, such as fodder.

Faisal Al-Dakhil, a spokesperson for the ministry, emphasized that InFlavour 2023 aims to attract both foreign and domestic investments to foster agricultural and food production in Saudi Arabia.

Products will be exported to the rest of the world through the intensification of regional and international innovation and technological solutions.

Al-Dakhil commended initiatives launched by Saudi Arabia to curb food waste in the Kingdom.

According to the spokesperson, these plans have reduced food waste in the Kingdom by 30%.

Saudi companies, both public and private, have invested in over 27 countries to secure food supplies, resulting in a 10% increase in agricultural production.

Al-Dakhil noted that the Kingdom achieved food self-sufficiency, as evidenced during the coronavirus pandemic when many countries faced shortages of food supplies and commodities.

He also highlighted the ministry’s launch of sustainable agriculture programs, emphasizing the significant achievements they have brought about.

Al-Dakhil acknowledged that agricultural marketing remains one of the major challenges that relevant authorities are working to find solutions for.

Some programs have been introduced to promote maximizing benefits between producers and consumers. This has led to the creation of several successful partnerships, encouraging sector investors to increase their production while maintaining quality.

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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Makes History with Adoption of Riyadh Treaty on Design Law

Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has made history by uniting the 193 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt the Riyadh Treaty on Design Law. This landmark achievement, realized after two decades of deliberation, underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in enhancing the global intellectual property system.

The announcement came at the conclusion of the Riyadh Diplomatic Conference on the Design Law Treaty, a rare event for WIPO, which has not held a diplomatic conference outside Geneva for more than a decade. It was also the first such event hosted in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, representing the final stage of negotiations to establish an agreement aimed at simplifying and standardizing design protection procedures across member states.

Over the past two weeks, intensive discussions and negotiations among member states culminated in the adoption of the Riyadh Treaty, which commits signatory nations to a unified set of requirements for registering designs, ensuring consistent and streamlined procedures worldwide. The agreement is expected to have a significant positive impact on designers, enabling them to protect their creations more effectively and uniformly across international markets.

At a press conference held on Friday to mark the event’s conclusion, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property Abdulaziz Al-Suwailem highlighted the economic potential of the new protocol.

Responding to a question from Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Suwailem noted the substantial contributions of young Saudi men and women in creative design. He explained that the agreement will enable their designs to be formally protected, allowing them to enter markets as valuable, tradable assets.

He also emphasized the symbolic importance of naming the convention the Riyadh Treaty, stating that it reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing influence as a bridge between cultures and a global center for innovative initiatives.

The treaty lays critical legal foundations to support designers and drive innovation worldwide, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s vision of promoting international collaboration in the creative industries and underscoring its leadership in building a sustainable future for innovators.

The agreement also advances global efforts to enhance creativity, protect intellectual property, and stimulate innovation on a broader scale.

This achievement further strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub for groundbreaking initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing creativity, safeguarding designers’ rights, and driving the development of creative industries on an international scale.

The Riyadh Diplomatic Conference, held from November 11 to 22, was hosted by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property and attracted high-ranking officials and decision-makers from WIPO member states.