https://arab.news/2b8zw
AL-SHAQIQ: Jazan Governor Prince Mohammed bin Nasser visited Al-Shaqiq Center in Al-Darb governorate to see new developments in its tourism and service industries.
He visited the busy Northern Corniche of Al-Shaqiq beach and went over the municipal services for tourists and walkers.
The governor visited investment opportunities in the tourism and entertainment fields, and inspected paintings at the corniche while being advised by Al-Shaqiq’s Mayor, Eng. Nasser Ateef.
DUBAI: Saudi nationals and residents will be eligible for electronic visas to Japan starting March 27.
Mutual interests and official diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Japan have been present for decades; both countries are mutually essential for each other’s political and economic growth.
The embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia recently announced that all Saudi nationals and people who reside in Saudi Arabia will be eligible to apply for a visa to Japan electronically; prior to that announcement, applications had to be done in the Japanese embassy or consulate.
Other than speeding up and streamlining the application process, this new decision will further enhance bilateral relations between both countries and facilitates entry and exit for all purposes.
The process includes a form that requires applicants to fill out basic information such as name, contacts, passport details, and travel information.
In 2015 Japan was named the third-largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia; both countries share many common interests that allow them to maximize benefits and enhance bilateral relations.
RIYADH: King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inaugurated the Charitable Jood Eskan Subscription campaign and made donations totalling $40 million, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
The campaign was launched by the Jood Eskan platform, and the monarch donated SR100 million ($27m), while the crown prince gave SR50 million ($13m) toward the provision of housing for needy families.
Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail said: “This generous, unsurprising contribution from the king and the crown prince came to inaugurate the good housing charitable subscription campaign, and an affirmation of their support for innovative humanitarian initiatives, in which the roles of governmental, private, and non-profit agencies are integrated.”
Riyadh: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed more than 44 tons of food aid packages around the world as part of the Ramadan 2023 food distribution project.
In Benin, 12 tons of food packages were distributed in the city of Glazoué. And in the city of Tetovo, North of Macedonia, 19 tons of food packages were provided.
In Jakarta 7.8 tons of food packages were distributed along with 6.3 tons of food packages in Skenderaj city, in Kosovo.
While in Sudan, Chad and Ghana 1,900 food packages were given out to needy families.
And in Pakistan the center distributed 1,450 shelter bags in the Sindh Province.
JEDDAH: The General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense has urged residents to take precautionary measures against thunderstorms and dust storms that are likely to affect some regions between Friday and Monday.
The organization, acting on information from the National Center of Meteorology, said the Makkah region will be affected by moderate to heavy rains that may lead to torrential flows. The areas of Taif, Maysan, Adham, Al-Khurmah, Al-Ardiyat, Turbah, Rania, Al-Muwayh, Qia, Khulais, Al-Kamil, Al-Jumum, Bahra, Al-Lith, and Al-Qunfudhah are expected to be hit.
The Riyadh region is also expected to suffer, including the capital, Al-Kharj, Wadi Al-Dawasir, As-Sulayyil, Afif, Al-Duwadmi, Shaqra, Al-Zulfi, Al-Majma’ah, Al-Quwa’iyah, Al-Ghat, Hotat Bani Tamim, Al-Aflaj, Thadiq, Ramah, Al-Muzahimiyah, Al-Diriyah, Dhurma, Huraymila and Al-Dalam.
Authorities stressed the need to stay away from areas where torrents gather, and not to swim in dangerous places.
Residents have been advised to adhere to instructions announced through the media.
The regions of Asir, Al-Baha, Jazan, Najran, Madinah, Hail, Tabuk, Al-Jawf, the northern borders, Al-Qasim and the eastern borders are also expected to be affected.
Moderate rains and winds resulting in dust storms are expected in the Makkah region, including Jeddah and Rabigh.
The Civil Defense has stressed the need to stay away from areas where torrents gather, and not to swim in dangerous places.
Residents have been advised to adhere to instructions announced through the media.
NEW YORK CITY: As concerns about water scarcity continue to grow worldwide, and in the Arab region in particular, Saudi officials on Thursday offered details of the steps they have been taking to address the problems.
They said the Kingdom is working to provide safe and affordable drinking water for all by developing ways to recycle and manage water resources in an integrated manner that reduces the environmental impact, and expressed confidence that it is on the right path to achieve the global goal of safe water for all.
Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani, the deputy minister for water affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, said his country leads the world in the unconventional supply of water through desalination, and is working hard to reduce the environmental impact of the processes that are used.
He was speaking at the first UN water conference in a generation, which was co-hosted this week in New York by the governments of Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
“I don’t know why (the conference) hadn’t happened up until now,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq told Arab News. “But we’re certainly glad that it is happening now.
“It takes time for member states to recognize the seriousness of some of the problems we face, and at least they’re doing this and it’s a positive development.”
Organizers hope the conference will prove to be a watershed moment in efforts to mobilize the UN system, member states and other stakeholders to take action, amid increasingly urgent warnings that international progress on water-related goals remains “alarmingly” off target, jeopardizing the entire sustainable development agenda.
The UN General Assembly set out its Sustainable Development Goals — 17 global targets designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” — in 2015, with the aim of achieving them by 2030.
Al-Shaibani told the conference on Thursday that the water sector is a cornerstone of comprehensive economic prosperity and a strong nexus of the strategies for other economic sectors.
He said Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s ambitious development agenda, was launched as part of the country’s efforts to build a more sustainable economy in line with the UN’s sustainability goals, and to pave the way for a better future “by diversifying the economy, reducing the state’s dependence on oil and developing the public sector to be more dynamic, flexible and sustainable.”
The Kingdom’s limited natural freshwater resources and the ever-increasing demand for water, and the challenges these factors pose to sustainable economic development, prompted Riyadh in 2018 to adopt what is now known as the “National Water Strategy 2030.”
Al-Shaibani said it was devised around the principle of Integrated Water Resources Management, which aims to restructure the water sector to make it more sustainable and efficient.
He added that it seeks to achieve this through a number of ambitious initiatives and programs, the most important of which are: “Restructuring and developing Integrated Water Resources Management capabilities; developing and implementing the water law; integrated water planning; development of renewable and non-renewable groundwater resources and surface water; development of sustainable desalination capabilities; promotion of the contribution of the private sector and third sector; and adherence to environmental regulations and requirements as well as improvements of irrigation efficiency.”
Al-Shaibani said his country is striving to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels by 56 percent by 2024, which represents 26 percent of the Kingdom’s total commitment to the Paris Agreement, with the remaining reduction set to be achieved by 2030.
He added that advances in desalination have significantly increased the quality of drinking water while protecting nonrenewable groundwater resources.
The Kingdom is also, Al-Shaibani said, “establishing sustainable agricultural cities that promote local economies and rural communities; (and) supporting women through the development opportunities offered by non-traditional water sources such as the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Program.”
In its efforts to achieve “universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all,” Saudi Arabia has allocated more than $80 billion for “hundreds of projects” related to water infrastructure, to be implemented in the coming years, he told the gathering.
The Kingdom has also rationalized water use through laws and regulations and awareness campaigns, Al-Shaibani added.
He pointed out that in 2020, during its presidency of the G20, the Kingdom sought to include the issue of resilient and sustainable water management on the group’s action map for the first time. Riyadh also spearheaded the G20’s “Dialogue on Water,” which this year, under India’s presidency, will take place for the fourth time.
“The Kingdom seeks to ensure the continuity of the water topic discussion within the G20 in the coming years through cooperation and coordination with the partners in the group,” Al-Shaibani said.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Fund for Development has provided billions of dollars for the development of many water-infrastructure projects in developing countries, he added, including “building dams, well drilling, water-supply networks and other water-related projects.”
Al-Shaibani concluded by calling on all countries to cooperate, share their experiences and face the challenges together as they work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, “among the most important of which is the sixth goal: To have a secure future for all of us and for the future generations.”
