Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Council of Ministers highlighted on Tuesday the political and humanitarian endeavors being exerted by Saudi Arabia to address the current critical situations in the Gaza Strip as well as in Lebanon.

The Cabinet session, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, discussed about the air bridge launched by the Kingdom to support the Lebanese people to face the critical situation prevailing in the country. This was disclosed by Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the Cabinet session.

At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on the phone call he received from French President Emmanuel Macron as well as on his meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. Their conversations focused on addressing the latest regional developments and efforts exerted to tackle them.

Al-Dossary said the Cabinet reviewed Saudi Arabia's overall participation in bilateral and multilateral meetings, with the objective of boosting its relations with countries worldwide in various sectors, facilitating coordination to address issues and challenges of international significance, and achieving shared interests.

The Council noted the Kingdom's emphasis, at the UN Conference on Victims of Terrorism, on the importance of international efforts to curb extremist ideologies and rhetoric, as well as to eradicate terrorism, provide support and care for all victims, and empower them through education and rehabilitation.

The Cabinet reiterated the key points of the Kingdom's opening statement at the 89th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, which reaffirmed the commitment to women's rights, to lifting their status in society, and to continuing reforms that empower women and encourage their participation in development.

At the domestic level, the minister said that the Cabinet praised the successful conclusion of the Global Logistics Forum held in Riyadh under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and expressed hope that its outcomes will contribute to boosting cooperation, developing logistics services and supply chains, and supporting economic growth and sustainable development.

The Cabinet noted that the announcement with regard to including King Salman Royal Reserve on the Green List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, alongside the Ibex Reserve, is consistent with the Kingdom's ongoing efforts in environment conservation. The move also contributes to realizing the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to declare 30 percent of terrestrial and marine regions protected areas by 2030.

The Cabinet also reviewed several reports on the performance of public agencies over the past period, their contributions to achieving the targets of the Saudi Vision 2030, and the significant progress seen in the indicators and initiatives of national strategies.

The Cabinet approved the establishment of a technical college in Jazan. It endorsed an agreement to establish the Saudi-Kazakh Coordination Council, and authorized the minister of energy to sign it.

The Cabinet authorized the minister of industry and mineral resources or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Pakistani Ministry of Industries and Production a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the industrial sector, and to discuss and sign another MoU with Venezuela for cooperation in promoting direct investment.

The Council approved the accession of Saudi Arabia, through the National Cybersecurity Authority, to the International Counter Ransomware Initiative.

It authorized the minister of communications and information technology and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Digital Government Authority (DGA) or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Ministry for Digitizing Government of New Zealand a draft MoU for cooperation in the field of digital government.

The Cabinet authorized the president of the Human Rights Commission or his deputy to discuss and sign with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees a draft MoU for cooperation in the technical field.