Saudi Arabia, France Discuss Health Sector Opportunities

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia, France Discuss Health Sector Opportunities

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Riyadh and Paris have discussed medical cooperation and available investment opportunities in the healthcare sector at a meeting of the Saudi-French Business Council on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih and France’s Minister of Foreign Trade Olivier Becht. The heads of the Saudi-French Business Council Mohammed bin Laden and Laurent Germain also attended the meeting.

Moreover, Saudi entrepreneurial companies and representatives of the private sector from both countries also partook in the meeting.

Both sides stressed the importance of the Saudi-French economic and investment relations, and the support they enjoy from the leadership in the two countries.

Cooperation opportunities are available in areas of common interest.

The two sides noted the importance of exploring new investment opportunities, in addition to increasing knowledge of the investment environment in the Kingdom and France.

The roundtable meeting discussed promising investment opportunities, upgrading investment relations between France and Saudi Arabia, and strengthening efforts to develop economic and investment ties between Riyadh and Paris.

This comes especially about developing qualitative investments for leading companies and enabling the private sector to benefit from investment opportunities in both countries.

In other news, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM), in collaboration with the British Embassy in Riyadh, hosted a joint webinar with British investors to promote investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

During the opening of the webinar, the Assistant Deputy for Mining Development, Turki Al Babtain, emphasized that the Ministry is working to ensure an attractive investment ecosystem thanks to the new Saudi Mining Investment Law.

The legislation assures a clear and fair legal framework designed to safeguard investments while leveraging the Kingdom's mineral wealth. Saudi Arabia is said to be home to an estimated $1.3 trillion worth of minerals.

Saudi Arabia’s mining strategy is based on four important pillars: making geological and geophysical data fully accessible, transforming the mining ecosystem into one of the most competitive worldwide, creating integrated value chains, and ensuring that people and the environment are protected.

Al Babtain invited attendees to participate in the Future Minerals Forum in January to learn more about Saudi Arabia’s investment opportunities, including the prominent features and incentives offered by the Kingdom to investors. Attendees to the Future Minerals Forum will join more than 7500 participants, 150 speakers and representatives from more than 75 countries.

The Ministry’s efforts are designed to maximize value-creation for Saudi Arabian communities and local and international investors by developing its mineral sector in order to transform mining into the third pillar of national industry, thereby achieving the goals of Vision 2030 and the National Industry Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP).



Saudi Arabia Calls for Global Water Cooperation to Advance Integrated Management

The first preparatory meeting for the 11th World Water Forum 2027 kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (11th World Water Forum 2027 | Riyadh 2027 on X)
The first preparatory meeting for the 11th World Water Forum 2027 kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (11th World Water Forum 2027 | Riyadh 2027 on X)
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Saudi Arabia Calls for Global Water Cooperation to Advance Integrated Management

The first preparatory meeting for the 11th World Water Forum 2027 kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (11th World Water Forum 2027 | Riyadh 2027 on X)
The first preparatory meeting for the 11th World Water Forum 2027 kicked off in Riyadh on Monday. (11th World Water Forum 2027 | Riyadh 2027 on X)

The first preparatory meeting for the 11th World Water Forum 2027 kicked off in Riyadh on Monday with the participation of top scientists, experts, decision-makers from around the world.

Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley, with the participation of World Water Council President Loïc Fauchon, inaugurated the official logo of the World Water Forum 2027.

In his remarks, Alfadley emphasized Saudi Arabia’s call for strengthened international cooperation and joint efforts among countries and organizations to tackle global water challenges. He underscored the importance of ensuring universal access to water and sanitation services as a key pillar in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6).

“Saudi Arabia prioritizes the water sector through various measures, including the adoption of a national strategy encompassing water production, storage, transportation, distribution, treatment, and reuse, all within a comprehensive institutional framework,” Alfadley added.

He further stated that the Kingdom has implemented Integrated Water Resources Management and enhanced supply chain governance. This is supported by the release of a long-term supply and demand plan that extends to 2050, alongside a commitment to environmental, social, and economic considerations in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030.

Highlighting the Kingdom's leading role in supporting regional and international water issues, Alfadley pointed to the launching of the Global Water Organization, aimed at fostering international collaboration, and the establishment of an International Water Research Center focused on water economics, water security, advanced technologies, and digital transformation.

Fauchon said the council, in collaboration with Saudi authorities, has developed a comprehensive framework outlining the thematic, regional, and political components that will shape the roadmap for the 11th edition of the forum that is being held in the Middle East for the first time.

He stressed the need to make water a top global priority, adding that this gathering will lay the foundation for future water policies. “The way ahead is still long, but we are confident we’re on the right path toward real solutions—solutions that can change lives,” he said.

Deputy Minister for Water at the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Dr. Abdulaziz Alshaibani underscored the urgency of the current moment, describing the preparatory meeting as a call for serious and immediate action. Alshaibani emphasized the need to build upon existing progress in the water sector and to move decisively towards solidifying priorities.

He stressed the importance of greater coherence and integration across all sectors, along with the unification of all efforts, to achieve tangible solutions to global water challenges and to meet SDG 6. Alshaibani further noted that effective solutions must be anchored in several key pillars, including financing, innovation, diplomacy, and environmental considerations.

The World Water Forum 2027, organized by the World Water Council in Saudi Arabia, is a significant international platform for exchanging ideas and experiences in water management.