LONDON — The United Kingdom has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision to plant 10 billion trees within the Kingdom over the next decade as part of the “Green Saudi Arabia” and “Green Middle East initiatives announced recently by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.

In a statement on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “We welcome Saudi Arabia's plan to plant 10 billion trees, combat pollution and preserve marine life as an important step in their climate ambition. As chair of the 26th Climate Action Summit, we'll work with Saudi Arabia to support their drive to protect the planet.”

On Tuesday, United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that the UN is following closely the great efforts being exerted by Saudi Arabia to intensify its climate ambitions.

Dujarric expressed, during the daily press conference, that the UN very much looks forward to hearing more from the Kingdom and the G20 member states on April 22, during the meeting to be organized by the United States in this regard. — SG