GCC Secretary-General Stresses Support for Legitimacy to End Yemeni Crisis

GCC chief Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf meets with Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Friday in Bahrain. (Saba)
GCC chief Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf meets with Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Friday in Bahrain. (Saba)
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GCC Secretary-General Stresses Support for Legitimacy to End Yemeni Crisis

GCC chief Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf meets with Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Friday in Bahrain. (Saba)
GCC chief Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf meets with Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Friday in Bahrain. (Saba)

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf underlined the GCC’s firm position in support of Yemen’s legitimacy and the need to end the crisis through a political solution based on the Gulf Initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the national dialogue conference and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

Al-Hajraf’s comments came during his meeting with Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak on Friday in Bahrain, on the sidelines of the 17th edition of the Manama Dialogue.

Al-Hajraf affirmed the GCC states’ keenness to restore security and stability in Yemen, and the Council’s support for the efforts of the United Nations aimed at reaching a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis based on the three references.

In the same context, official Yemeni sources quoted Bin Mubarak as saying that he reviewed with Al-Hajraf the developments in Yemen, and the Houthi militias’ ongoing aggression on Marib and their violations in Hodeidah.

The Yemeni minister pointed to the “insurgents’ exploitation of peace initiatives to maintain their aggression against the Yemeni people, including their flagrant violation of the Stockholm Agreement, which the militias used for three years to achieve their expansionist plans by opening other fighting fronts such as Marib, Al Bayda, Al Dhale and Jawf, and to carry out operations that threaten the security of international navigation at the entrance to the Red Sea.”

Saba news agency added that the Yemeni Foreign minister renewed his government’s commitment to “implementing the Riyadh Agreement and unifying efforts to confront the Houthi threat, achieve economic stability, normalize security conditions and alleviate people’s suffering.”



Saudi Arabia Ranks 1st Regionally, 9th Globally and 6th in G20 in Geospatial Field

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Ranks 1st Regionally, 9th Globally and 6th in G20 in Geospatial Field

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), has significantly advanced its geospatial knowledge infrastructure readiness by moving from the 32nd place in 2022 to ninth in the 2025 Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure (GKI) Readiness Index. It ranked first in the Middle East and Arab world, and 6th among G20 nations.

The announcement was made during the first day of the Geospatial World Forum 2025, held in Madrid from April 22 to 25.

The GKI Readiness Index, developed by Geospatial World, is a strategic framework supported by the United Nations Statistics Division that aims to compare the readiness of countries in adopting geospatial knowledge and how their progress on the index promotes economic growth, sustainable development and digital transformation, said a GEOSA statement.

The GKI Readiness Index was built on several axes. The Kingdom ranked sixth globally in the policy axis through its pioneering experience in the governance of the national geospatial data system and the preparation of its policies, standards and specifications in accordance with international best practices.

It ranked seventh globally in the infrastructure axis for its pivotal role in unifying national efforts related to geospatial information, including building the national geospatial platform that represents the window of the national geospatial infrastructure available to benefit the public and private sectors, in addition to the academia, the non-profit sector, and individuals.

The Kingdom ranked eighth in the geospatial industry axis, which highlights its constructive role in building strategic partnerships in all sectors.

The Kingdom's progress in this index reflects the unlimited support given to the survey and geospatial information sector by the wise Saudi leadership and the minister of defense and chairman of GEOSA Board of Directors.

This support has led to the Kingdom assuming a leading position at the regional and global levels in the forefront of its peers among developed countries in the geospatial field. This progress also led to Riyadh being chosen as the headquarters for the United Nations Global Geospatial Ecosystem Center of Excellence, positioning the Kingdom as a global leader in innovative geospatial information management.

‏The GEOSA works, according to its mandate, to organize the survey, geospatial information and imaging sector in the Kingdom, including the adoption and development of the national geospatial infrastructure, and the establishment of basic and guiding standards and controls related to the sector to achieve the integrated use of the geospatial information system among all the stakeholders.