Saudi Arabia hosted on Wednesday the first G20 meeting, after it assumed the presidency of the world’s most economically powerful group of nations.
The number of meetings is set to reach about 140, in addition to workshops, conferences and forums on the sidelines.
Saudi Arabia has been a founding member of this group since its inception nearly 20 years ago, in addition to being the only Arab member.
Fahd Al-Mubarak, minister of state and a member of the Saudi Council of Ministers, said that the meeting on Wednesday will be followed by sessions bringing together representatives of finance ministries and of central bank governors.
Al-Mubarak said that there will be 80 meetings of government representatives and 60 meetings of civil society organizations, in addition to conferences, workshops and forums.
These meetings are part of a series that will go on until the G20 summit is held in November 2020.
The Saudi presidency will focus on three aims: Empowering people through improving working conditions, safeguarding the planet by fostering collective efforts on food and water security, climate, energy and the environment, and long-term strategies to share the benefits of innovation and technological advancement.
“Based on Saudi Vision 2030, we have set three main themes, namely, human empowerment, protection of the environment and climate, and strategies to foster innovation and industrial intelligence,” he noted.
