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1st Ministerial Council of Middle East Green Initiative Adopts Decisions to Launch Implementation

The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)
The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)
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1st Ministerial Council of Middle East Green Initiative Adopts Decisions to Launch Implementation

The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)
The first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative was held in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia reiterated on Wednesday the importance of strengthened regional collaboration to protect the environment and enhance vegetation cover to boost food and water security, safeguard biodiversity, preserve ecosystems, and promote climate change adaptation.

The Kingdom noted that the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) is a significant step toward improving regional governance in fighting desertification, drought, and climate change challenges.

Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley made the statements during the first session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative in Jeddah with the participation of 29 countries and international organizations.

Alfadley confirmed that the initiative, launched by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in 2021, marks the first regional alliance of its kind, designed to reduce the impacts of climate change across the Middle East and North Africa.

He noted that the final version of the initiative's charter was agreed upon during the founding countries' ministerial meeting in October 2022.

Alfadley stressed that the Middle East, one of the regions hardest hit by desertification and drought, requires intensified collective efforts to address environmental challenges

The ministerial council approved the MGI secretariat's organizational structure and its internal policies, appointed the MGI Secretary General and Fund Trustee, and took several other key decisions to enable the launch of MGI's implementation phase.

It extended its deepest gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed for launching the initiative in 2021.

The council renewed its commitment to strengthening regional collaboration to combat land degradation, desertification, and drought while mitigating their significant environmental and socio-economic impacts.

It welcomed the accession of 11 countries as regional members of the MGI and emphasized the important role they will play in achieving the initiative's ambitious objectives. It also invited regional countries to join the MGI.

It also welcomed the United Kingdom's accession to the MGI as a non-regional contributor with observer status. The council encourages other non-regional countries to participate, underscoring their vital role in providing technical and financial support to help achieve regional objectives and address global environmental challenges.

The council highlighted the importance of continued efforts by regional member countries to set ambitious future goals and develop policies and national strategies for land rehabilitation and vegetation cover development, aligned with relevant multilateral environmental agreements and conventions. The council urged member countries to incorporate these national targets into the MGI's regional framework.

Moreover, the council underlined the significance of bolstering international multilateral efforts and the vital role of the private sector, financial institutions, and civil society in addressing the global challenges of land degradation, desertification, and drought while supporting regional initiatives.

The council commended the landmark resolution adopted during the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) in February 2024, which focused on strengthening international efforts to combat land degradation and desertification while enhancing resilience to drought.

In addition, the council praised Saudi Arabia for hosting the last World Environment Day celebration on June 5, 2024, and the United Nations Environment Program for designating "Our Land, Our Future" as the theme for World Environment Day 2024.

Furthermore, the council said it looks forward to the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that will be held in Riyadh in December.

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Saudi Arabia Advances Global Environmental Leadership with IUCN Green List Milestone

Several of the Kingdom's reserves have earned certification on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green list - SPA
Several of the Kingdom's reserves have earned certification on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green list - SPA
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Saudi Arabia Advances Global Environmental Leadership with IUCN Green List Milestone

Several of the Kingdom's reserves have earned certification on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green list - SPA
Several of the Kingdom's reserves have earned certification on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green list - SPA

Saudi Arabia Advances Global Environmental Leadership with IUCN Green List MilestoneThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen its international standing in environmental protection and sustainability, underpinned by the wise leadership’s prioritization of environmental affairs within national development priorities, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, SPA reported.

These efforts are reinforced by the Saudi Green Initiative, which targets the protection of 30% of the Kingdom's terrestrial and marine areas by 2030.

In a milestone reflecting effective natural resource management, several of the Kingdom's reserves have earned certification on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List following a rigorous evaluation process, demonstrating the Kingdom's sound governance, effective management, and measurable conservation outcomes.

Saudi Arabia's environmental achievements represent a comprehensive institutional framework that has transformed natural reserves from restricted geographical zones into an integrated national system balancing environmental stewardship with development imperatives, serving as a model for future generations.

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Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Shams,’ 1st Arab Satellite to Monitor Space Weather from Distant Orbit

The satellite represents a milestone in Saudi innovation (Saudi Space Agency)
The satellite represents a milestone in Saudi innovation (Saudi Space Agency)
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Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Shams,’ 1st Arab Satellite to Monitor Space Weather from Distant Orbit

The satellite represents a milestone in Saudi innovation (Saudi Space Agency)
The satellite represents a milestone in Saudi innovation (Saudi Space Agency)

The Saudi Space Agency announced the successful launch of its new satellite, Shams, and established contact with it as part of the Artemis II mission, marking the Kingdom’s emergence as both the leading Arab partner in the program and the first to deploy a dedicated national mission to study space weather.

The satellite represents a milestone in Saudi innovation. Developed domestically by Saudi engineers, Shams has evolved from a national ambition into a scientific platform designed to monitor solar activity and radiation and their effects on Earth, with implications for safeguarding global communications and navigation systems.

The Artemis program, led by NASA in partnership with dozens of countries, aims to return humans to lunar orbit for the first time in more than 50 years, paving the way for future missions to Mars. Saudi Arabia joined the Artemis Accords in 2022 alongside more than 60 nations to help establish a framework for space exploration and strengthen its role in the sector.

The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts on the first crewed flight to orbit the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched by the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever operated. Shams is included as one of the mission’s scientific payloads.

The satellite will operate in a highly elliptical orbit (HEO), ranging from approximately 500 km to 70,000 km above Earth. This trajectory enables broad monitoring of solar and radiation activity, advancing space weather research and supporting critical applications.

Space laboratory to tackle radiation and solar activity challenges

Shams is designed to study space weather through four scientific areas: space radiation, solar X-rays, Earth’s magnetic field and high-energy solar particles. It will also collect data to support the development of protection technologies for future human spaceflight and improve understanding of solar particle behavior and magnetic fields.

The mission is expected to enhance the reliability and sustainability of key sectors such as communications, aviation and navigation by providing data that improves operational readiness and strengthens the security of critical infrastructure.

The Saudi Space Agency said the project aims to boost scientific research, develop future solutions and support a knowledge-based economy through the localization of advanced technologies, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. It also seeks to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s global standing in the space sector and empower national talent in space science and technology.

Data from Shams is expected to improve early warning systems for solar storms that can disrupt internet services, telecommunications and navigation signals. The findings could also help protect power grids and energy infrastructure from severe solar activity that can cause outages or damage.

By improving monitoring of radiation and solar winds, the mission may contribute to safer air travel and future crewed missions to the Moon and Mars, while opening new avenues in medicine, energy and science.

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What to Know about the Artemis 2 Mission's Moon Flyby

03 April 2026: A partial views of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from a window on the Orion spacecraft as it heads to the Moon. The picture was released on the third day of the first mission since 1972 to send people around the moon. Photo: Reid Wiseman/Nasa/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
03 April 2026: A partial views of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from a window on the Orion spacecraft as it heads to the Moon. The picture was released on the third day of the first mission since 1972 to send people around the moon. Photo: Reid Wiseman/Nasa/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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What to Know about the Artemis 2 Mission's Moon Flyby

03 April 2026: A partial views of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from a window on the Orion spacecraft as it heads to the Moon. The picture was released on the third day of the first mission since 1972 to send people around the moon. Photo: Reid Wiseman/Nasa/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
03 April 2026: A partial views of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from a window on the Orion spacecraft as it heads to the Moon. The picture was released on the third day of the first mission since 1972 to send people around the moon. Photo: Reid Wiseman/Nasa/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

For the first time in more than half a century, astronauts will fly around the Moon on Monday, marking the high point of the Artemis 2's lunar mission.

Here's what you need to know about the event according to AFP:

- Live broadcast -

The flyby will last around seven hours, starting Monday around 2:45 p.m. eastern US time (1845 GMT) and ending around 9:20 p.m. (0120 GMT).

NASA will broadcast the flyby live on its website, as well as on YouTube, Amazon and Netflix, with commentary from both the astronauts aboard the mission and experts at the Mission Control center in Houston, Texas.

Given the lengthy distance -- further than any humans have ever traveled from Earth -- NASA has cautioned that the livestream video quality may be poor at times.

- Radio silence -

There will be a period of around 40 minutes during the flyby where all communication with Artemis 2 will be cut off as the astronauts pass behind the Moon.

"It'll be exciting, you know, in a slightly scary way, when they go behind the moon," Derek Buzasi, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, told AFP.

The academic recalled during the Apollo missions to the Moon, "we all held our breaths a little bit."

- History-making milestones -

The Artemis 2 mission represents several first, as it will be the first time a woman, Christina Koch, a Black person, Victor Glover, and a non-American, Jeremy Hansen, will reach the Moon.

Until now, only the Apollo-era astronauts, all of whom were white American men, reached the Moon, between 1968 and 1972.

Shortly before the start of the flyby, the Artemis 2 crew will also reach the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth.

The spacecraft is expected to surpass the Apollo 13 distance record by 4,102 miles (6,600 kilometers) and will reach a maximum distance from the planet of 252,757 miles (406,772 kilometers).

- Moon the size of a basketball -

Apollo flights flew some 70 miles (110 kilometers) above the lunar surface, but the Artemis 2 crew will be over 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) away at their closest approach.

The spaceship will actually swing around the Moon without entering its orbit by following a carefully planned trajectory.

The distance from the Moon will allow astronauts on board to see the complete, circular surface of the Moon, including regions near both poles.

The Moon will appear to the astronauts "about the size of a basketball held at arm's length," Noah Petro, head of NASA's planetary geology lab, told AFP.

- Far side of the Moon -

The flyby will see the Artemis 2 crew pass behind the far side of the Moon, which is not visible to Earth.

The astronauts of the Apollo mission also flew behind the Moon, but they were too close to witness it in entirety.

The Artemis 2 crew will therefore be able to see regions of the Moon that had previously only been captured by robotic imagers.

The four astronauts have gone through years of training to observe and describe the geological formations they observe as accurately as possible.

NASA scientists hope the observations recorded by the crew will provide information about the composition of the Moon and its history, as well as the wider solar system by extension.

- Solar eclipse -

Toward the end of the flyby, the astronauts will experience a rare phenomenon: a solar eclipse.

For about 53 minutes, their spacecraft will perfectly align with the Moon and the Sun, causing the star to disappear from view.

The astronauts will then have the chance to study the solar corona, the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere, which will become visible as a sort of glowing halo.

They will also be on the lookout for possible flashes of light caused by meteorites crashing into the surface of the Moon.

- 'Earthrise' redux -

The Artemis 2 astronauts will also see the Earth disappear and reappear behind the Moon.

Their position will potentially allow them to recreate the famous "Earthrise" photograph from the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.

The iconic photograph taken by astronaut William Anders captured the bright blue Earth against the vast darkness of space, with the Moon's cratered surface in the foreground.