RIYADH: The Saudi capital has been named as the international headquarters for the world’s first camel organization.
Representatives of 96 countries gathered on Thursday in Riyadh for the inaugural constitutional assembly meeting of the newly established International Camel Organization (ICO).
Saudi Camel Club supremo Fahd bin Falah bin Hithlin has been chosen to lead the ICO as its first president for a term of five years.
During the assembled gathering, members issued the organization’s Riyadh Charter, which highlights the historic and cultural importance of camels to the international community.
The new president said the ICO aimed to maintain international rules and standards relating to camels and noted that its Saudi launch reflected the Kingdom’s key role in developing and promoting the cultural aspect of the animals around the world.
He added that the organization would be working to nurture mutual understanding and friendship between nations and peoples and establish a global family of camel-loving communities.
Mikhled bin Omar Al-Otaibi, a member of the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society, said the decision to headquarter the ICO in Saudi Arabia was recognition of the Kingdom’s efforts, led by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to care for camels and promote their heritage on an international stage.
Al-Otaibi said: “The Kingdom has always sought to preserve its cultural and natural heritage which is of great value to mankind.” He added that the first international camel charter represented a major step toward obtaining international protection for the animals.
The Riyadh historical society official also gave his approval to the choice of ICO president, a figure who he said had made great achievements in his role as chairman of the Saudi Camel Club, including the organization of the prestigious King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival.
The work of the ICO will involve underlining the role that camels, and activities associated with them, play in developing a mutual understanding and friendship that can contribute to building communities and caring for their members.
It will also promote skills training and technical advances relating to camels and the industry sector linked to them.
Saudi Arabia to head world’s first camel organization
Saudi Arabia to head world’s first camel organization
- Al-Otaibi said: “The Kingdom has always sought to preserve its cultural and natural heritage which is of great value to mankind”
Saudi FM: Commitment to two-state solution only way to prevent Gaza war reoccurring
- ‘It’s good that we hear most of our partners and the international community support that notion,’ Prince Faisal says
RIYADH: Only a real commitment to a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can prevent the war in Gaza from reoccurring, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Sunday.
“We in the region are not going to focus only on solving the crisis of the moment, we’re going to look at how we can solve the bigger problem in the context of Gaza. That is, a real commitment to a two-state solution, that is, a credible, irreversible path to a Palestinian state,” he told the World Economic Forum’s special meeting in Riyadh.
“That’s the only reasonable and credible solution that guarantees us from not having to come back to this same situation two, three, four years down the line.”
He added that it was up to the international community, especially those countries that have the most influence, and the UN Security Council to help implement the solution.
“It’s good that we hear most of our partners and the international community support that notion. Now we have to translate that into reality.
“We need to move from talk, to action, to concrete steps. And it can’t be left up to the warring parties. We, the international community, and especially those countries that have the most influence, the most impact, the Security Council have to step in,” he said.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry echoed Prince Faisal’s call and said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would not be resolved until a two-state solution came into effect.
“I’ve always advocated the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because that’s the underlying problem. Until you resolve that … you will probably have a short-term pause, but it will recur with even greater vengeance. So we don’t want that, we want a solution to this once and for all,” he said.
Prince Faisal said the Kingdom would do everything it could to push in the direction of a two-state solution and that he was hopeful the international community would do the right thing and make the concept a reality.
“If we all agree that the Palestinian state and giving the Palestinians their right, is the solution that gives everybody what they need: security, stability, their rights, then we should all decide we’re going to invest all of our resources in making that happen.
“If we make that decision, the pathway will unfold before us, even if there are those that will try to stop it. There are levers clear, there are levers hidden, that can push us in that direction. So I want to be hopeful … and I know that we as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will do everything we can to push in that direction.
“And hopefully, the international community, given everything that has happened and given the risks involved in not doing the right thing, will come along, and we’re working with our partners, the Europeans among them and many others, to try and translate that intent into reality,” Prince Faisal said.
Saudi Environment Ministry honors first female veterinary graduates
- The women honored were from King Faisal University
- Event showcased the ministry’s commitment to supporting and empowering women and would help to create new job opportunities for them
RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in Al-Ahsa on Saturday honored the Kingdom’s first female veterinary graduates.
The event, held on World Veterinary Day, was staged in cooperation with the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Plant Pests and Animal Diseases and attended by officials and stakeholders from the veterinary field, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The women honored were from King Faisal University.
The report said the event showcased the ministry’s commitment to supporting and empowering women and would help to create new job opportunities for them.
Vets play a vital role in public health as the first line of defense against diseases that affect both humans and animals. Their contributions include diagnosing and preventing the spread of disease and providing care.
The ministry said the national center supported vets in fulfilling that role by providing resources and mechanisms.
The center is also committed to creating an environment that fosters the growth of veterinary work and promotes sustainable development in the agricultural sector.
Saudi FM leads Gaza committee urging sanctions on Israel
- Ministers also addressed the repression faced by peaceful demonstrators in Western nations who advocate for an end to the conflict in Gaza
RIYADH: Ministers gathering in Riyadh to discuss the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip stressed the urgent need for imposing sanctions on Israel, the Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday.
Chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, the meeting comprising dignitaries from a group formed jointly by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League convened to address developments in Gaza.
The ministers called for international legal mechanisms to hold Israeli officials accountable, alongside decisive action against settler terrorism.
The officials from Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Qatar and the OIC advocated for halting arms exports in response to Israel's violations of international law and war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
It was strongly asserted during the meeting that the Gaza Strip constitutes an inseparable part of the occupied Palestinian territory, rejecting any attempts to displace the Palestinian population from their homeland or to carry out military operations within the city of Rafah.
Ministers also addressed the repression faced by peaceful demonstrators in Western nations who advocate for an end to the conflict in Gaza and condemn Israeli violations against Palestinians.
The meeting also focused on enhancing joint Arab and Islamic efforts to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza, with a priority on safeguarding civilian lives and ensuring the consistent delivery of humanitarian aid.
There was a commitment to persist in international endeavors aimed at recognizing an independent Palestinian state. This included the endorsement of a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as its capital within the borders of June 4, 1967, in alignment with relevant international resolutions.
Saudi deputy minister attends 50th Arab Labor Conference
RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor, Abdullah bin Nasser Abu Thanin, led the Saudi delegation at the 50th session of the Arab Labor Conference, being held from April 27 to May 4 in Baghdad.
Labor ministers, heads and members of delegations from employers’ organizations, and labor unions from 21 Arab countries, along with representatives from the Arab League and other Arab and international organizations, are attending the conference.
The opening session of the conference included the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani; Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit; and Director General of the International Labor Organization, Gilbert Houngbo.
During the plenary session of the conference, Abu Thanin delivered a speech in which he emphasized the importance of early qualification and training to meet the labor market’s needs, highlighting technical, personal, and social skills as well as modern work patterns.
Abu Thanin also highlighted the Kingdom’s significant commitment to investing in and developing human resources through the Vision 2030 programs and labor market strategy, along with its various initiatives.
He also pointed out the ministry’s initiative in holding the Global Labor Market Conference in partnership with the International Labor Organization and the World Bank, with the participation of a group of international experts and specialists with the aim of setting plans for future changes in the labor market.
The conference participants are expected to discuss several issues and reports, including the arrangement and coordination of Arab participation in the activities of the upcoming International Labor Conference organized by the International Labor Organization, scheduled to be held in Geneva.
The Arab Labor Organization is one of the organizations of the Arab League, established in 1965. It is considered the first specialized Arab organization concerned with labor and workers’ affairs at the level of the Arab world.
Saudi project clears 797 Houthi mines in Yemen
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 797 mines in Yemen — which had been planted by the Houthi militia — between April 20 to 26, according to a recent report.
Overseen by the Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief, the project’s special teams destroyed 681 pieces of unexploded ordnance, 110 anti-tank mines, five improvised explosive devices, and one anti-personnel mine.
The explosives, which were planted indiscriminately by the Houthis across Yemen, posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
Project Masam is one of several initiatives undertaken by Saudi Arabia at the request of King Salman, which has cleared routes for humanitarian aid to reach the country’s citizens.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
A total of 438,413 mines have been cleared since the start of the initiative in 2018, according to Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s managing director.
These include 279,683 items of unexploded ordnance, 144,211 anti-tank mines, 8,023 improvised explosive devices, and 6,496 anti-personnel mines.
The initiative trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
About 5 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, many of them displaced by the presence of land mines.
Masam teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project’s contract was extended for another year in June 2023 at a cost of $33.29 million.
