Saudi Shura Council Vice Speaker Takes Part in G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit in Brazil

Dr. Al-Salami also discussed the Kingdom's approach to addressing poverty and hunger at the national and international levels - SPA
Dr. Al-Salami also discussed the Kingdom's approach to addressing poverty and hunger at the national and international levels - SPA
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Saudi Shura Council Vice Speaker Takes Part in G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit in Brazil

Dr. Al-Salami also discussed the Kingdom's approach to addressing poverty and hunger at the national and international levels - SPA
Dr. Al-Salami also discussed the Kingdom's approach to addressing poverty and hunger at the national and international levels - SPA

A Saudi Shura Council delegation, led by Vice Speaker of the Shura Council Dr. Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami, has participated in the 10th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) inaugurated in Brasilia by the National Congress of Brazil in collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union under the theme "Parliaments for a Just World and a Sustainable Planet."
During the opening session attended by the speakers of the G20 parliaments and other invited countries, the vice speaker of the Shura Council expressed his sincere gratitude to the Brazilian parliament for its hospitality and warm reception.

He also expressed his high appreciation for Brazil's launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty during the previous G20 summit, SPA reported.
He emphasized that the Kingdom became a member of the global alliance to combat hunger and poverty in May 2024 and will be hosting the UN Conference on Land and Drought in Riyadh in December.
Dr. Al-Salami also discussed the Kingdom's approach to addressing poverty and hunger at the national and international levels. He noted that the government has issued a series of resolutions on poverty and hunger, while the Shura Council has enacted legislation to combat poverty, hunger, and inequality. The legislation creates social safety through government support programs, social insurance programs, labor market support, the establishment of a Social Development Bank, and the contribution of charities.
He asserted that the Kingdom has been committed to sponsoring and promoting charitable and humanitarian work. He cited the approximately $133 billion in development assistance provided from 1975 to 2024, which was distributed to 171 countries worldwide and implemented over 7,090 humanitarian, relief, and development projects. He added that the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) is currently engaged in over 1,700 projects to address hunger and poverty worldwide.
In terms of the Kingdom's endeavors to address inequality, he said that Saudi Arabia has ratified the Equal Remuneration Convention (No. 100) and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (No. 111). He confirmed that the percentage of women's participation in the labor market increased to 37% in 2023, surpassing the percentage anticipated in Vision 2030, noting that the Kingdom's laws prohibit all forms of discrimination in jobs and wages between men and women at work.
The vice speaker of the Shura Council also stated that Saudi Arabia has provided essential relief to the Palestinian people in Gaza in the amount of $187 million, as well as a total of $1.6 billion in development and general humanitarian assistance.
Dr. Al-Salami affirmed that the Kingdom has also made significant political efforts. He said that the Kingdom called for an Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, and launched the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in partnership with the Arab and Islamic countries, the European Union, and Norway. He added that the Kingdom hosted the alliance's first meeting in Riyadh on October 30, 2024, and announced the holding of the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh on November 11. He indicated that all these efforts are aimed at an immediate ceasefire, ending the Israeli occupation, providing relief to the Palestinian people, and establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.
The P20 summit addressed a variety of critical issues on its agenda, including the contribution of parliaments in fighting hunger, poverty, and inequality, as well as the role of parliaments in addressing the environmental crisis, sustainability, and building global governance adapted to the challenges of the 21st century.



Saudi FM: We Will Not Tire of Diplomacy to Achieve Gaza Ceasefire, Peace

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi FM: We Will Not Tire of Diplomacy to Achieve Gaza Ceasefire, Peace

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attend a press conference, following the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit held to investigate Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah stressed on Monday that the only way to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution, which several countries around the world support.

Speaking at the conclusion of the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit that was held in Riyadh, he added that the meeting was a follow-up to “our efforts to put a stop to the Israeli crimes.”

The summit tackled means to bolster joint work and continue cooperation with the international community to stop the war on Gaza and ease regional tensions.

“The establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a main demand and key to ending the conflict in the Middle East,” declared Prince Faisal, calling for more countries to recognize the independent state.

“We must not forget the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who are living in fear and suffering displacement. The fastest way to protect them lies in an international resolution for a ceasefire,” he went on to say.

“We want a permanent solution that consolidates peace in the region. The international community and its institutions have been lax in performing their duties towards the Palestinians,” he remarked, adding that the summit will make the world listen to the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Prince Faisal vowed that efforts will continue to achieve the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to reach a ceasefire.

“We will not tire of diplomacy because we believe in peace that we all need and deserve,” he stressed.

Moreover, he underscored the “anger of the Arab and Islamic worlds over the developments in Gaza,” saying the Israeli operations in the sector and West Bank “go beyond ensuring its safety and self-defense, but they are part of an agenda to change the status quo on the ground and destroy prospects for a two-state solution.”

The Arab and Islamic worlds are committed to supporting the Palestinian Authority, said Prince Faisal. “It alone can manage the situation in the West Bank and Gaza and pressure must be exerted on Israel to make it stop undermining its authority,” he stated.

The emergence of a united Arab Islamic position will help ease regional tensions and will have an impact in reaching a solution, he remarked.

Furthermore, he said that the continuation of the war on Gaza is a sign of the international community’s failure. “Priority now lies in ending the war and the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he added.

“We must not allow the international community to forget the truth of the Israeli crimes in Gaza,” he urged.