Saudi Arabia launches Green Initiative Summit in tandem with COP27

The second edition of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit will be launched in Sharm El-Sheikh by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on November 7 alongside the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC (COP27), which is being hosted by Egypt this year from November 7-18. 

The MGI Summit will discuss the influences of climate change as well as sharing experience by leaders of the region to accelerate the transition towards a green economy and sustainable future, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. 

The summit will also take part in achieving the Kingdom’s national goals that aim at “reducing regional carbon emissions by more than 10 percent of global contributions and planting 50 billion trees across the region,” according to Arab News. 

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, as Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Saudi Green Initiative, announced that KSA will also hold the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum on November 11-12, according to SPA. 

The SGI Forum will host a number of climate experts and leaders to shed light on the achievements made regarding the climate goals announced by KSA last year. This year’s theme, “From ambition to action”, embodies the Kingdom’s aspiration to turn targets into reality by taking comprehensive action to face climate challenges that negatively influence the entire world, according to Trade Arabia.

In its efforts to protect the environment, the KSA will plant 10 billion trees nationwide and allocate 30 percent of its land and sea as protected areas in the future. The Kingdom also announced its commitment to reducing carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030, Arab News reported. 

On the other hand, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said in a statement that COP27 will launch the “Green Zone”, an area dedicated to the private sector and civil society within which many side events will be held with the contribution of ministers, CEOs and high-level officials. 

Commenting on COP27, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said it is a good chance for the concerned parties to address the challenges of climate change witnessed by the African continent, highlight global threats and discuss proposed solutions.