Saudi Arabia put forward a set of effective solutions and proposals to advance global development and economic reforms, through its high-level participation at the meetings of the G20 Leaders Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
The Saudi delegation to the summit is headed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, and includes Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State, as well as a number of cabinet ministers.
Energy transition
The Energy Minister emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to collective action in order to reduce the effects of climate change by promoting the full and effective implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.
He explained that the ministerial meeting of the Energy Transitions Working Group issued the Bali Charter, which included a set of voluntary principles to accelerate energy transition, including the implementation of the circular carbon economy approach and the shift towards more sustainable, balanced and equitable energy systems, as well as the continued flow of investments in clean energy technologies.
The minister said the Kingdom has called for focusing on the importance of comprehensive solutions and technologies, especially clean technologies, to curb greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account the security and stability of energy markets to ensure their continuity and the sustainability of their transformations.
Climate sustainability
He stated that the meetings of the Climate Sustainability Group dealt with aspects of sustainable recovery, developing ways and policies to confront the effects of climate change, reducing its negative effects on humans and population groups, implementing the Paris Agreement, and drafting plans and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Financial impact
For his part, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammad Al-Jadaan said that Saudi Arabia’s participation in the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting came to push for mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global financial markets, and the necessary measures in the medium term to support the global economy during crises.
He affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to working with its G20 partners to prepare a sustainable financing mechanism to strengthen the response to future pandemics, in addition to improving international governance and cooperation between global policy makers.
Labor markets
The Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, Engineer Ahmed Al-Rajhi, noted that the ministry, through its participation in the G20 meetings, highlighted the need for labor markets to flourish after the Covid-19 pandemic, and expressed support for the priorities of the Indonesian G20 presidency for work and employment, in addition to presenting the programs and initiatives launched by Saudi Arabia within the framework of Vision 2030.
Tourism development
Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khatib, for his part, said that the meeting of the G20 tourism ministers reviewed the development of tourism in local communities and micro, small and medium-sized projects, and the importance of the creative economy, innovation and technology in the development of tourism globally, in addition to the recovery of the tourism sector from the effects of the pandemic.
Al-Khatib stressed Saudi Arabia’s support for the Bali Guidelines to improve the role of local communities and support micro, small and medium enterprises for tourism transformation, in addition to responding to calls to curb global warming emissions.
Comprehensive education
Minister of Education Youssef Al-Bunyan said that the topics discussed during the meetings focused on providing inclusive, high-quality education for all to overcome the rapid increase in educational inequality and poverty, reduce educational loss in light of the challenges imposed by the pandemic, and improve the use of digital technology in education.
Oversight and Accountability
The head of the General Auditing Bureau, Dr. Hossam Al-Anqari, said that the meeting of the G20 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI20) highlighted the need to enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange among the relevant bodies, and implement the best auditing practices to strengthen oversight and good governance in the G20 countries.
