Saudi Gazette report

MONTREAL —Saudi Arabia, represented by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the National Center for Wildlife, participated in the meeting of an open-ended working group dedicated to sharing benefits arising from the use of digital sequence information for genetic resources held in Montreal, Canada, from August 12 to 16.

Dr. Batoul Baz, Vice President of KACST and Chair of the National Biosafety Committee, affirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to enhancing international efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the international frameworks, agreements and protocols to which the Kingdom is a party.

She also pointed out the need for the international community to commit to reducing the loss of biodiversity and ensuring the equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

The speech included a review of Saudi Arabia’s efforts and initiatives at the national level that aim to preserve biodiversity, such as the Saudi Green Initiative, which focuses on combating climate change, improving the quality of life, and protecting the environment for future generations, and referring to the ongoing work in the Kingdom to develop a national system for genetic resources.

She also referred to the National Biotechnology Strategy, which emphasizes genomics as one of its four main pillars, and embodies the Kingdom’s commitment to enabling a coordinated work environment and promoting a culture of research, development, and innovation.

This international meeting aims to discuss the development of a mechanism for Parties to share benefits arising from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources, including the establishment of a global fund.