RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is leading the way in guiding the Arab world towards sustainable development, with the Kingdom at the forefront of the green transition in the region, according to a senior official.

Speaking to Arab News during the UN’s COP16 in Riyadh, Merza Hasan, special adviser to the chairman of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, highlighted that water scarcity is one of the most pressing challenges nations will face due to the adverse impacts of climate change.

“The Arab Fund was established by 22 Arab countries, with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia being the largest shareholders. Saudi Arabia’s approach to development now aims to share its experience, vision, and insights from various sectors to help other countries, particularly Arab nations, scale up their efforts,” Hasan explained.

He added: “I believe Saudi Arabia is currently the largest hub for development and innovative ideas.”

Hasan emphasized the importance of the Kingdom sharing its expertise in sectors such as water, electricity, tourism, infrastructure, and job creation with neighboring Arab countries.

Through the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives, the Kingdom has been driving the sustainable transformation in the broader region over the past few years.

The fourth edition of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), held alongside COP16, unveiled five new groundbreaking environmental projects worth SR225 million ($60 million), marking a significant advancement in Saudi Arabia’s ambitious environmental strategy. This brings the total investment in SGI initiatives to over $188 billion.

Hasan also noted that the Arab Fund will increase its investments to ensure water security among its member nations in the future.

“Water is interconnected with livelihoods, prosperity, food security, and manufacturing. The Arab Fund will allocate significant resources to address water challenges in the Arab region in the coming years,” Hasan said.

He warned: “The water crisis is immense. If we fail to act quickly, we risk facing a catastrophe.”

Hasan revealed that the Arab Fund is prioritizing the green economy, and all future projects will be entirely sustainable.

During COP16, the Arab Coordination Group pledged up to $10 billion by 2030 to tackle critical issues such as land degradation, desertification, and drought.

“We aim to enhance our knowledge in areas related to the environment, water, and agriculture, integrating green practices into these sectors. Our data is currently limited, and we need to improve our capacity in this regard,” Hasan stated.

He also mentioned that the fund is developing an Arab Development Data portal, with Saudi Arabia playing a key role in this initiative.

“We are collaborating with statistical units to strengthen our data capabilities, particularly in environmental and green economy-related areas. We are also connecting this data with existing intellectual reports that have not yet been fully utilized,” Hasan added.

He highlighted that the fund is leveraging advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to collect and utilize data for a sustainable future.

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