UAE Joins Global Alliance on Green Economy

Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)
Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)
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UAE Joins Global Alliance on Green Economy

Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)
Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairing the UAE cabinet (WAM)

The UAE cabinet approved the country's joining to the Global Alliance on Green Economy, led by the World Green Economy Organization, which aims to launch programs and initiatives, create sustainable funding, and establish partnerships among developing countries to ensure an effective transition.

Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that joining the Alliance would support the UAE's preparations to host the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28).

Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the UAE Cabinet meeting at Qasr al-Watan Abu Dhabi.

The Prime Minister said: "We approved the joining of the UAE to the Global Alliance for Green Economy, which aims to consolidate the global transformation towards a more sustainable economy to preserve the environment in preparation for the UAE to host the COP28 next year. We wish Egypt all success in the current session."

The cabinet approved the convening of the UAE Government Annual Meetings on November 22nd in Abu Dhabi.

The meetings will be attended by 500 senior federal and local officials, aiming to review performance during the previous year, and agree on the most critical development projects at the national level for the following year.

Sheikh Mohammed said that the cabinet meeting approved a comprehensive development project for the federal government staff to enhance the readiness for the future by training on the skills required for the coming period.

"In our meeting, we also adopted a new policy to support the local product by changing the customs exemption policy so that the exemption is for imported materials that are included in industries that are not locally available," said the Prime Minister.

He noted that the "goal is to encourage factories to use locally produced materials to support them."

The cabinet adopted a new policy for pricing essential consumer goods in the country under the control and follow-up of the Ministry of Economy in coordination with the relevant local authorities.

The policy aim to ensure control over the commitment of basic commodity providers and sales outlets to pricing per the policy.

The policy included nine basic consumer commodities: cooking oils, eggs, dairy, rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread, and wheat.

The cabinet also adopted a decision regarding the establishment and organization of the Owners Association.

The law aim to regulate the establishment of the union, registering and publicizing it, its management, and the meetings of its general assembly.

The council adopted a decision regarding administrative penalties for the provisions of the Federal Law Decree regulating the connection of distributed renewable energy production units to the electrical grid.



Schengen Visa Applications in Saudi Arabia Grew by 23% in 2024

Visa applicants are seen at the Visa Center in Riyadh to complete their application procedures. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Visa applicants are seen at the Visa Center in Riyadh to complete their application procedures. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Schengen Visa Applications in Saudi Arabia Grew by 23% in 2024

Visa applicants are seen at the Visa Center in Riyadh to complete their application procedures. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Visa applicants are seen at the Visa Center in Riyadh to complete their application procedures. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

As travel and tourism continue to grow, despite the challenges faced by local, regional, and international businesses and projects, VFS Global has revealed that demand for Schengen visas in Saudi Arabia has increased significantly by 23% this year.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO of VFS Global, said that the company has managed the visa procedures for the Saudi Ministry of Tourism’s Trailblazers program, which works to send 100,000 students to Europe for training in the tourism and travel sectors.

He added: “Our strategy aims to provide long-term value to all stakeholders, including the Saudi government and its citizens, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s vision of creating a diverse and sustainable economy by applying some of our modern solutions to our operations in the Kingdom.”

Karkaria emphasized that Saudi Arabia is a key market for VFS Global’s business, noting that the company has expanded its presence and services in the Kingdom over the years through strategic partnerships to facilitate visa services for travelers. These partnerships include agreements with chambers of commerce, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Aramco.

He further stated: “VFS Global strictly adheres to service-level agreements with its government clients, managing non-judicial and administrative tasks related to visa applications, passports, and consular services.”

As international travel grows in emerging markets, there has been an increasing need for specialized services to meet the demands of governments and visa applicants globally. “This led us to develop an approach that benefits both parties, where we handle all administrative procedures necessary for visa processing,” Karkaria explained.

According to him, VFS Global enjoys a long-standing partnership with governments in the European Union, working closely with them in the countries where they operate to provide visa application services. He noted the ongoing rise in demand for international travel and visa issuance.

“The initial challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic, which directly impacted travel and related sectors, was dealing with the volatile business environment. We quickly recognized both the severity of the crisis and the opportunity to transform our operations to prepare our organization for the future,” he said.

He continued: “For instance, by April 2020, 3,196 of our 3,384 visa application centers worldwide were temporarily closed in response to the global crisis. However, within just seven months, we resumed operations at 1,600 centers, representing more than half of our global network, enabling us to serve over 50 government clients across 129 countries while implementing new health and safety measures to protect both staff and visa applicants.”

Karkaria said that over the past 23 years, the company played a critical role in helping its clients manage the rapid growth in visa demand in a cost-effective and highly secure manner.

He added: “We have also developed innovative solutions tailored to our government clients, such as LIDProTM, which allows them to process visa applications from multiple locations via a centralized electronic hub.” VFS Global is the trusted partner of 67 government clients and operates in 151 countries.

Karkaria stated that the company supports travel to the Kingdom by providing Saudi visa services since 2023.

“Through our partnership with the Saudi Visa and Travel Solutions company, we operate and manage Saudi visa service centers in 45 countries worldwide,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He added: “We are committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans to develop and grow tourism by expanding Saudi visa services in partnership with the Saudi Visa and Travel Solutions company. We are also in the process of appointing relationship managers for key government and private sector entities.”

Karkaria noted that Saudi Arabia has recently launched an educational visa to boost the education sector by supporting international institutions in establishing branches in the Kingdom and attracting international students to study and reside in the country.

In this context, VFS Global will help international institutions establish branches in Saudi Arabia and assist potential Saudi students in pursuing their careers at various international universities through professional guidance and recruitment services.

VFS Global established its visa application center operations in Saudi Arabia in 2005, providing visa and passport services on behalf of 31 governments through a network of 95 visa application centers.

The company operates in 14 locations across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Abha, Hail, Jubail, Makkah, Jazan, Qassim, Al-Kharj, Tabuk, Madinah, Najran, and Al-Jawf.

Karkaria stated, “We see tremendous potential in artificial intelligence to accelerate and improve visa application procedures. Our partnership with the Responsible AI Institute reflects our strong commitment to using this technology in a reliable and ethical manner, applying the highest security standards.”

“Most importantly, we are committed to using AI in accordance with the regulations and procedures implemented by the governments we work with. We are ready to help our government clients integrate AI into the visa application process,” he added.