Saudi Gazette report

RIO DE JANEIRO — Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan emphasized that the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon has caused unprecedented levels of human suffering, pushing the region to the brink of a wider war and undermining the credibility of international law and institutions. He also announced Saudi Arabia’s accession to the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty during the first session of the G20 Summit, which was titled “Social Integration and Combating Hunger and Poverty” in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro on Monday. On behalf of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Faisal is leading the Saudi delegation to the summit.

In his speech, Prince Faisal said that the world is facing more tensions, military conflicts, and humanitarian crises, which hinders the achievement of development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. “Development and prosperity cannot be achieved on the ruins of death and destruction,” he asserted.

Referring to the Gaza crisis, Prince Faisal affirmed the Kingdom's firm position on the need for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted access to humanitarian aid, the release of hostages, and a serious commitment to lasting peace based on the two-state solution according to the 1967 borders." On the situation in Sudan, he said that the conflict is causing great human suffering, especially in light of the obstacles that prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.

The Saudi minister praised Brazil's initiative to launch the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty at the summit. “Saudi Arabia considers this as an important step to address global food insecurity,” he said while announcing that the Kingdom is pleased to be part of this alliance. Prince Faisal noted that the launch of this alliance is in line with the Kingdom’s development goals and its global role in this regard, which is expressed by the programs of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), the Saudi Fund for Development, in addition to its global contributions to the programs of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to support developing countries.

At the outset of his speech, Prince Faisal conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince and their wishes for the success of the summit's activities. He expressed the Kingdom's thanks to Brazil for its leadership of the G20's work this year under the slogan "Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet."

The Saudi delegation to the opening session of the summit included Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Deputy Minister of Finance (Saudi Sherpa for the G20 countries) Abdulmohsen Al-Khalaf, and Saudi Ambassador to Brazil Dr. Faisal Ghulam.

The delegation will participate in a number of summit meetings that include strengthening international multilateral action, the joint efforts of the Group's countries to combat hunger and poverty, and achieve sustainable development