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Strategic Partnership Agreement to Bolster Saudi Non-Oil Exports

Saudi efforts to bolster exports of its products and goods. Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi efforts to bolster exports of its products and goods. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Strategic Partnership Agreement to Bolster Saudi Non-Oil Exports

Saudi efforts to bolster exports of its products and goods. Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi efforts to bolster exports of its products and goods. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Saudi Exports Development Authority and the Council of Saudi Chambers signed Monday a memorandum of cooperation to build a strategic bilateral partnership.

The step aims at supporting and promoting non-oil exports by improving the efficiency of the export environment and promoting Saudi products in international markets.

It comes in line with the Kingdom’s ambitious vision, which targets raising the rate of non-oil exports from 16 to 50 percent by 2030 and diversifying sources of income for the national economy.

The cooperation is driven by the major strategic roles played by both bodies to serve the economy.

The Council represents an umbrella for the Kingdom’s business sector and works to boost its participation in achieving the Saudi vision 2030, including the support for export development efforts.

The Authority, however, is concerned with increasing Saudi non-oil exports. It works to raise the quality of Saudi products and achieve its access to international markets, enhancing the Saudi product’s competitiveness.

Secretary General of the Council of Saudi Chambers Khaled al-Yahya stressed the importance of the signed memorandum, in light of the government’s clear interest in stimulating economic sectors, especially exports.

The memorandum’s articles ensure the Saudi business sector’s participation in achieving the directives to develop Saudi exports and provide national companies with better export opportunities in markets abroad.

Secretary General of the Saudi Export Authority Eng. Saleh al-Sulami, for his part, said the cooperation with the private sector’s institutional bodies comes in line with the joint work with partners in the business sector to develop, improve, support and encourage the Saudi export system and provide opportunities and enablers for national companies to assist in delivering Saudi products to international markets.

It also aims at enhancing non-oil exports and opening new export channels for national companies by allowing their products to reach various international markets, he added.

The cooperation agreement includes contributing to developing non-oil exports, promoting national products in international markets, enhancing and stimulating the export environment, overcoming the obstacles facing Saudi exporters, building strategic partnerships and a distinguished relationship, as well as empowering Saudi exporters through Saudi foreign business councils and visiting trade delegations.

The terms further stress the importance of holding periodic meetings between the Saudi Export Development Authority and Saudi foreign business councils, as well as organizing programs, seminars, courses and workshops on export at the headquarters of the authority, the council, and the chambers of commerce and industry.

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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.