RIYADH: World leaders, including heads of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on Sunday began arriving in New York to attend the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
The sessions are scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning amid political crises all over the world with a focus on the Middle East, North Korea and the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday,” said a UNGA report, which gives details of the participation of the heads of states in the UN assembly. It said Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has already arrived in New York, where he will also hold talks with US President Donald Trump besides attending the UNGA.
“The details of the participation of the Gulf states in the UNGA will be announced soon,” said an official of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General Secretariat, on Sunday. He said that individual GCC countries would announce the names of the leaders who will be leading delegations of the respective Gulf states. Also, foreign ministers of the OIC member states are scheduled to hold a coordination meeting in New York before the UNGA starts on Tuesday.
Referring to the high-profile attendance of world leaders at the UNGA, another report said: “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the UNGA and will also meet with President Trump to discuss key regional and international issues on the sidelines of the General Assembly.” Jordan’s King Abdullah, accompanied by Queen Rania, has already arrived in New York, where he will be leading the Jordanian delegation.
The report said that “the North Korean provocations and the future of Iran’s nuclear agreement are also expected to be discussed on the international platform, in addition to the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.” However, a few leaders will be missing from the General Assembly meeting, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – both of whom have urged for a de-escalation of tensions between the US and North Korea.
The report said that the spotlight will be on US President Trump and France’s new leader, Emmanuel Macron, who will both be making their first appearance at the General Assembly. They will be joined by more than 100 heads of state, including Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
Referring to the consultation meeting to be convened by the OIC, a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said that the foreign ministers will hold a meeting to discuss issues of interest to the OIC that are on the agenda of the current session of the UNGA. The special ministerial committee on Palestine will also hold a meeting to discuss developments.
The report said that Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has also arrived in New York, where he will address the UNGA and hold talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. A ministerial meeting of the Contact Group on the Rohingya Muslims will also be held in New York within the framework of the OIC. The OIC secretary-general will also hold several bilateral meetings with heads of states to discuss regional and international issues.
Heads of OIC states among world leaders flocking to New York for UNGA
Heads of OIC states among world leaders flocking to New York for UNGA
National program identifies 165 native plants for afforestation efforts in Asir
- The survey is part of broader plans focused on restoring degraded land, using native vegetation
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s National Afforestation Program has identified more than 165 species of native plants suitable for afforestation in the Asir region, highlighting the ecological diversity of one of the Kingdom’s most environmentally varied areas, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The findings form part of broader national efforts to expand vegetation cover, address land degradation, and support sustainability goals linked to the Saudi Green Initiative and Vision 2030.
According to the program, the identified species are distributed across a wide range of natural environments in Asir, including mountainous terrain, highlands, slopes, valleys, plains, rocky landscapes, and coastal areas stretching from the Red Sea to Tihama.
The species belong to numerous plant families, including Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Burseraceae, Capparaceae, Ebenaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Oleaceae, and Primulaceae, among others.
Plants suitable for afforestation range from large and small trees to perennial and annual shrubs, herbs, succulents, bulbs, and climbing plants.
Among the most notable species identified are the grey mangrove, mastic tree, mooring or ben tree, juniper, sycamore fig, wild olive, henna, wild jasmine, hawthorn, and arak.
The Saudi Arabian Botanical Society described the announcement as an important step in protecting plant diversity and strengthening the ecosystem conservation in the Kingdom.
Munirah bin Hamad Al-Hazani, founder and president of the society, said that prioritizing native species is central to sustainable afforestation.
“Focusing on the cultivation of native plants adapted to diverse environments forms the cornerstone of sustainable afforestation projects, as it plays a pivotal role in enhancing vegetation cover, combating land degradation, and conserving natural and financial resources,” she told Arab News.
Al-Hazani added that long-term success depends on cooperation between government bodies and the nonprofit sector, alongside community involvement and environmental awareness programs.
The National Afforestation Program has increasingly emphasized community participation, working with government agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations to support planting initiatives and environmental education. Its approach includes promoting volunteerism and discouraging harmful environmental practices, while focusing on the use of native plants adapted to local conditions.
Parallel efforts are underway in other regions of the Kingdom to support vegetation restoration through research and infrastructure development. In Jouf, often referred to as the Kingdom’s food basket, the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has established a Central Nursery and a Wild Seeds Research and Production Station to address the growing demand for reliable sources of native seeds and seedlings.
The project was launched in 2023 under the directive of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, the minister of interior and chairman of the authority’s board of directors.
Since then, the facilities has become a key component of vegetation restoration efforts within the reserve.
The authority has focused on building operational capacity by recruiting and training specialists to manage cultivation and research activities. The research and production station includes 14 mother-seed production fields containing over 400,000 trees and shrubs.
Planting began in late 2024, with more than 30 native plant species represented, selected for their role in the reserve’s natural ecosystem.
The facility also includes two seed storage units with a combined capacity of 3,000 kilograms. Seeds are collected annually from multiple sites within the reserve and used for seedling production habitat rehabilitation.
The Central Nursery spans 6,000 square meters and includes 30 greenhouses spanning 1,500 square meters, as well as two shade houses used during summer months. A plant hardening facility, designed to prepare seedlings for natural environmental conditions, covers 10,000 square meters and is divided into seven sections. The nursery’s annual production capacity reaches 1.5 million seedlings, representing more than 15 native plant species.
Together, these initiatives underscore the growing role of native plant research and propagation in Saudi Arabia’s afforestation strategy, particularly as the Kingdom works to balance environmental restoration with long-term sustainability goals.
