Economic integration is key for Arab nations and trade and investment can boost it, conference hears

Economic integration is key for Arab nations and trade and investment can boost it, conference hears
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The discussions revolved around the contents of the group’s latest Integration Report. (AN photo)
Economic integration is key for Arab nations and trade and investment can boost it, conference hears
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Abdul Hakim Elwaer (L), Bahgat Abu El-Nasr (Middle), and Lilia Hachem Naas, during the IsDB Group annual meeting in Jeddah on May 10, 2023. (AN photo)
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Updated 11 May 2023
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Economic integration is key for Arab nations and trade and investment can boost it, conference hears

Economic integration is key for Arab nations and trade and investment can boost it, conference hears
  • The 48th Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Jeddah included the launch of the group’s Integration Report for Arab Countries
  • Chairman Mohammed Al-Jasser said the group is working to overcome obstacles to integration and capitalize on available opportunities at regional and international levels

JEDDAH: High-level representatives of Islamic Development Bank Group member countries, and other regional and international experts gathered in Jeddah on May 10 for the 48th Annual Meetings of the group, which included the launch of its Integration Report for Arab Countries.

In his keynote speech, the chairman of the group, Mohammed Al-Jasser, said it is working to overcome the obstacles to economic integration and capitalize on available opportunities at the regional and international levels, while helping to improve revenues across the Arab world and increase the region’s contributions to the global economy.

Trade and investment are two vital areas through which the group aims to support member countries, by effectively implementing regional agreements, he added.

The discussions revolved around the contents of the group’s latest Integration Report, which includes information about the extent of economic integration in the Arab world in a number of sectors, including trade and investment, the financial markets, IT connectivity, and logistics.

Abdul Hakim Elwaer, assistant director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, said that economic integration can help improve food security in the Arab region. There are a number of challenges to achieving this, he added, some of which are political and some social or environmental.




Abdul Hakim Elwaer, assistant director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. (AN photo)

“The Arab region is the most arid region in the world and with the increasing effects of climate change, coupled with scarcity of water resources, urban encroachment and overpopulation, the situation will not improve in the future but rather it will worsen and the region will have to face several challenges,” Elwaer said.

It is important to create more opportunities for economic integration in the Arab world, and river basin countries in particular, as they are better placed to supply food and water resources to countries that need them, he added.

Sami Al-Suwailem, acting director-general of the Islamic Development Bank Group Institute and its chief economist, said that economic and trade integration play a major role in building stable economies and boosting the wealth of countries.




Sami Al-Suwailem, acting director-general of the Islamic Development Bank Group Institute and its chief economist. (AN photo)

“It is important to focus more on efficiency and productivity to achieve economic integration, and on sharing best practices among the member countries through South-South Cooperation,” he said.

Bahgat Abu El-Nasr, director of the Arab League’s Arab Economic Integration Department, talked about the role of trade in regional economic integration, including the need for the political will to develop trade relationships, and highlighted the implementation of major regional integration initiatives, including the Greater Arab Free Trade Area and the Arab Customs Union.

Lilia Hachem Naas, chief officer for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Trade Centre in Geneva, discussed the effects that economic integration can have in increasing productivity in the Arab world. She said trade is a key tool for strengthening regional integration and can act as a driver for the creation of job opportunities.




Lilia Hachem Naas, chief officer for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Trade Centre in Geneva. (AN photo)

“To overcome this obstacle of regional integration, a mechanism for transparency should be established between the public and the private sectors,” Naas added.


Museum Professional Association established in Riyadh

Museum Professional Association established in Riyadh
Updated 11 sec ago
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Museum Professional Association established in Riyadh

Museum Professional Association established in Riyadh
  • Princess Haifa bint Mansour bin Bandar said the association’s primary objective was to manage and guide museums

RIYADH: The National Center for Non-profit Sector has approved the establishment of a Museum Professional Association, which will be headquartered in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Princess Haifa bint Mansour bin Bandar has been appointed as chair of the association’s board of directors. Other board members include Tahani Al-Mahmoud as vice president, Laila Al-Faddagh as financial supervisor, and Mohammed Al-Qahtani, Noura Al-Gosaibi, Sarah Al-Omran and Noura Al-Zamil.

Princess Haifa said the association’s primary objective was to manage and guide museums, while fostering an environment that promoted innovation and professional development.

She added that it aimed to attract and support professional talent, organize training programs, provide the necessary tools and resources, recognize and honor artistic achievements and facilitate effective communication among professionals in the field.

The association was established in accordance with the Ministry of Culture’s strategy for the nonprofit sector. This aims to establish a diverse system of nonprofit organizations, including 16 professional associations in 13 cultural sectors across the Kingdom.


KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises

KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises
Updated 26 September 2023
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KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises

KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises
  • Organizations committed to aid projects globally including Yemen, Somalia
  • Nations should provide more financial support to deal with funding crisis, say officials

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief and the UN Development Programme recently organized a high-level roundtable discussion titled “The Humanitarian, Development, and Peace Nexus: From Theory to Practice with the Compass Towards 2030” on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City.

Participating in the discussion, which was moderated by Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Arab States Abdallah Al-Dardari, were KSrelief’s Supervisor-General Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, and International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger.

Al-Rabeeah said that KSrelief was committed to providing humanitarian assistance to help alleviate suffering across the world, and ensure recovery and development that can lead to sustainable peace.

He added that if all these elements can be brought together, “we can hope to save lives at the onset of a crisis and also improve the lives of generations to come.”

KSrelief, he added, would keep expanding its partnership with the UNDP through projects in Yemen and Somalia.

Steiner said that the collective results of humanitarian, development and peace-building support in countries with protracted crises are essential to keep them on the right track to achieve the promise of prosperity for the world, as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the close of the roundtable discussion, KSrelief and the UNDP called for an integrated approach that links humanitarian, development and peace-building actors to face increasing humanitarian emergencies and development crises.

Earlier, the KSrelief chief participated in a high-level meeting on bridging the humanitarian funding gap with Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

The session was organized by Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the EU, in the presence of representatives from several countries and humanitarian organizations, on the sidelines of the UN assembly.

Al-Rabeeah said that humanitarian efforts must be combined to expand the scope of donor countries, bodies and individuals, and raise the level of coordination and impact of humanitarian aid.

He noted that Saudi Arabia holds annually the “Gift of Dates” campaign in partnership with the World Food Programme costing over $136 million, which benefits 72 countries around the world.

Al-Rabeeah said KSrelief has supported the global response to the COVID-19 crisis by providing vaccines, medical devices, medicines and care units.

Al-Rabeeah also attended a session on the Rohingya crisis with Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikha Hasina Wajid.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia has been a firm supporter of the international community’s stand vis-a-vis the Rohingya, to ensure they live in peace and dignity. He said that the Kingdom has hosted 260,000 Rohingya refugees, providing healthcare, employment and education at a cost of $2.25 billion.

He added that Saudi Arabia has also been supporting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and other countries over the past few years through 43 projects costing $186 million, for emergency relief, education, shelter and health.

In addition, he said KSrelief carried out 25 other projects costing more than $26 million.


Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt

Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt

Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt

RIYADH: Drug smugglers were caught with a massive 114,973 kg haul of cannabis in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority found the drugs concealed in a vehicle’s boot as it passed through the Empty Quarter crossing.
The authority said it remains vigilant against smuggling, working closely with its partners in the General Directorate of Narcotics Control.
The authority urges the public to report any suspicious activity or information related to smuggling by contacting the responsible authorities.


Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers

Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers

Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers
  • Bahrain’s military command said several other soldiers injured by the drone attack

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned an attack on its territory that killed two Bahraini military personnel near the southern border with Yemen.

The Saudi foreign ministry voiced its “condemnation and denunciation” of a “treacherous attack on the defence force of the sister Kingdom of Bahrain stationed on the southern border of the kingdom, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of its brave soldiers and the injury of others,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

“We express our deepest and sincerest condolences to the leadership and people of the sisterly state of Bahrain, and to the families of the heroic martyrs.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands by the sisterly state of Bahrain and renews its stance of rejection to the continued flow of weapons to the terrorist Houthi militia as well as calls to ban arms export to Yemeni territories.”

Bahrain’s military command said a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed the two Bahraini soldiers — one an officer — at Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday. The soldiers had been patrolling the area.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the attack as efforts to strike a peace deal between Riyadh and the rebels continue.

The military’s statement, carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, said “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also wounded in the strike, without elaborating.

“This terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards on the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the halt of military operations between the warring sides in Yemen,” the statement said.

 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned on Tuesday the drone attack.  

Hussein Ibrahim Taha, the Secretary-General of the OIC, expressed deep condolences to the families of the two individuals killed, as well as to the government and citizens of Bahrain. He also wished a swift recovery for those wounded in the attack. 

Secretary-General Taha emphasized that such provocative actions are incompatible with ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the Yemen crisis, adding that the OIC remained committed to supporting diplomatic endeavors aimed at ending the Yemen conflict and achieving lasting peace.  


Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant

Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant

Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant
  • Prince Nayef bin Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz donned chef’s apron, joined staff at Makarem Najd restaurant in Jeddah
  • Prince can be seen cooking chicken over charcoal and explaining restaurant’s food safety accreditation to a customer

JEDDAH: A Saudi prince has caused a social media sensation with video clips of him serving and cooking for customers at his newly opened restaurant.

Prince Nayef bin Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz donned a chef’s apron and joined the staff to offer traditional Saudi cuisine such as mandi, jareesh, kabsa, mitazeez, margoog, harissa, and arekah at the Makarem Najd restaurant in Jeddah.

In one video clip, the prince can be seen cooking chicken over charcoal, and explaining the restaurant’s food safety accreditation to a customer.

“Young people say to me, ‘Why are you wearing this, and why are you working like this?’ This is my job,” the prince said. “I like to share my work with my team. Work is an honor, it is not a shame, and there is no prophet who did not herd sheep — work on yourself.”

Fans on social media approved. Abdul Rahman Al-Solaim said: “This is a message to some of our young men and women who may refuse to work in such professions. Prince Nayef bin Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz mobilizes enthusiasm and promotes the culture of self-employment.”

Another user, Mohammed Al-Shehri, said: “A beautiful and wonderful scene of Prince Nayef personally supervising and serving the patrons of a restaurant.”

The son of inventor, philanthropist, and former Tabuk Gov. Prince Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz, the prince has followed in his father’s footsteps doing charitable work.

One of his projects involved the creation of a rescue and relief helicopter with firefighting capabilities, an initiative that earned him a grand prize from the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.