Middle East Green Initiative ministerial council to meet in Jeddah on Thursday

SPA

JEDDAH, Jan 28 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The second session of the Ministerial Council of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) will begin on Thursday in Jeddah, chaired by Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Alfadley, who currently leads the council.

Representatives from 31 member states across Asia and Africa are due to attend, with the United Kingdom participating as an observer.

The session will review implementation of directives and pledges adopted at the two MGI summits, which focused on climate-change mitigation projects, expanding vegetation cover and protecting biodiversity.

The meeting also marks the start of a new phase for the initiative following the completion of its foundational stage and the establishment of its General Secretariat in Riyadh. The council is expected to adopt decisions to launch the implementation phase and the initiative’s flagship projects.

MGI targets include planting 50 billion trees and rehabilitating 200 million hectares of degraded land across member states, representing 5% of global vegetation restoration targets. It also aims to support efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 670 million tons, around 10% of global contributions.

Saudi Arabia launched MGI at a summit in Riyadh in October 2021. At a second summit in Sharm El Sheikh in November 2022, the kingdom announced financial support for the initiative, said it would host the secretariat in Riyadh, and committed to covering its operational costs for the next 10 years.