‘Middle East Green Initiative’ Aims to Launch Projects in Multiple Countries by 2025

A group photo of participants at the Jeddah meeting, which approved the membership of 10 countries (Ministry of Environment)
A group photo of participants at the Jeddah meeting, which approved the membership of 10 countries (Ministry of Environment)
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‘Middle East Green Initiative’ Aims to Launch Projects in Multiple Countries by 2025

A group photo of participants at the Jeddah meeting, which approved the membership of 10 countries (Ministry of Environment)
A group photo of participants at the Jeddah meeting, which approved the membership of 10 countries (Ministry of Environment)

Dr. Osama Faqih, head of the executive committee for the “Middle East Green Initiative,” announced plans to launch several qualifying projects in member countries by the end of 2025.

He also stated that the initiative will establish a secretariat and outlined specific criteria for selecting the Secretary-General, who will be approved by the executive committee and the ministerial council.

Faqih outlined the implementation phases of the initiative, starting with a founding team of 16 regional countries and an executive committee of 20 founding states. This committee will establish the governance for the initiative, as projects will be based in member countries.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Faqih explained that funding will come from regional and international countries, the private sector, and various financial institutions, according to the initiative’s charter.

He noted that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a donation during the second summit of the Middle East Initiative in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, held alongside the Climate Conference. The secretariat will be located in Riyadh.

Membership in the initiative is divided into two categories: regional countries, which include Central and Southwestern Asia, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa, can host projects and contribute to achieving the initiative's goals. Non-regional countries can also join to support financial and technical funding.

The initiative prioritizes land rehabilitation, with Faqih highlighting the global challenges of land degradation and desertification.

He noted that over 99% of the world’s calories and about 95% of food come from land, making these issues critical for food security. The initiative aims to rehabilitate 200 million hectares of land in member countries, providing significant environmental, economic, and social benefits, such as carbon storage, vegetation growth, food security, and social welfare.

Faqih’s comments followed the first session of the ministerial council for the “Middle East Green Initiative,” held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The council welcomed ten regional countries and one non-regional country, the United Kingdom, as an observer.

They also set ambitious national policies and targets for vegetation development, agreeing on a governance structure that includes 32 elements covering the organizational framework, secretariat, project types, submission mechanisms, evaluation criteria, and funding processes.

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, who chaired the session, emphasized the need for regional cooperation to enhance vegetation development and address environmental challenges, particularly desertification and limited greenery in the region.

He indicated that the meeting marks a shift to the implementation phase, urging all member countries, both regional and non-regional, to join and actively participate in the initiative and its trust fund.



Saudi-GCC Non-Oil Trade Surplus Achieves 203% Annual Growth

An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters)
An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters)
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Saudi-GCC Non-Oil Trade Surplus Achieves 203% Annual Growth

An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters)
An oil tanker is being loaded at Saudi Aramco's Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal in Saudi Arabia May 21, 2018. (Reuters)

The non-oil trade surplus of Saudi Arabia with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries recorded an annual growth rate of 203.2% to more than SAR2 billion in April, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Friday. It soared to around SAR3,511 million from SAR1,158 million in the same month last year.

According to preliminary data from the International Trade Bulletin for April, published by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the total volume of non-oil trade, including re-exports, between Saudi Arabia and GCC countries amounted to around SAR18,028 million. This reflects a year-on-year growth of 41.3%, with an increase of SAR5,271 million from SAR12,757 million in April 2024.

Non-oil commodity exports, including re-exports, rose by 55%, totaling SAR10,770 million, up from SAR6,958 million in April of the previous year, an increase of over SAR3,812 million.

Meanwhile, the value of national non-oil commodity exports reached around SAR3,031 million, compared to SAR2,675 million in April 2024, achieving a year-on-year growth rate of 13.3%, with an increase estimated at SAR356 million.

Additionally, the value of re-exports surged by 81%, reaching SAR7,738 million compared to SAR4,282 million, an increase of SAR3,456 million.

Saudi Arabia’s imports from GCC countries stood at SAR7,258 million in April 2025, compared to SAR5,799 million last year, achieving a year-on-year growth of 25.2%, with an increase of SAR1,459 million.

The data indicated that the United Arab Emirates ranked first in terms of non-oil trade volume with Saudi Arabia, amounting to SAR13,533 million, representing about 75.1% of the total.

Bahrain followed in second place with a trade value of SAR1,798 million (10%), while Oman ranked third with SAR1,454 million (8.1%). Kuwait was fourth with SAR819.9 million (4.5%), and Qatar came next with a value of SAR422.1 million (2.3%).