NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia on Friday participated in the ministerial session of the Seventh United Nations Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) being held in New York, which aims to innovate technical solutions to address the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and promote sustainable development.

The Kingdom was represented in the forum by President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, who supervised the founding team of the Research, Development and Innovation Authority.

Dr. El-Desouki said Saudi Arabia has taken great steps to harness science, technology and innovation and achieve sustainable development goals and sustainable recovery from the coronavirus pandemic through its contribution of half a billion dollars to support efforts to combat the disease globally, as well as its development and dissemination of effective digital tools and platforms that ensure the continuation of business and government operations during and after the pandemic.

KACST President indicated that the Kingdom has established a higher committee and an authority specialized in the development of research, development and innovation to accelerate the Kingdom's transformation towards an economy based on innovation and to enhance the role of the private sector in solving development challenges.

He explained that the Kingdom launched many important initiatives to support research, development and innovation in the areas of the digital economy, circular carbon, and health. It also launched "The Line" city project in NEOM as a modern model for future cities that relies on modern technologies, with zero carbon emissions. The city will include interconnected cognitive communities enhanced by artificial intelligence, stretching over 170 km, within an environment without noise or pollution, and free of vehicles and congestion.

Dr. El-Desouki referred to the Kingdom’s launch of the Green Saudi Initiative and the Green Middle East Initiative, which will chart the direction of the Kingdom and the region in protecting the land and nature and put it in a road map with clear and ambitious landmarks and will contribute strongly to achieving global goals by planting more than 50 billion trees to displace 130 million tons of carbon emissions. — SPA