Saudi finance minister addresses COVID-19 at Islamic Development Bank meetings

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. (REUTERS file photo)
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Updated 04 September 2021
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Saudi finance minister addresses COVID-19 at Islamic Development Bank meetings

  • Mohammed Al-Jadaan calls for cooperation and collaboration among countries in the Islamic world to confront the pandemic
  • IsDB governor also wants member states to procure more vaccines and speed up the vaccination process

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of finance said the Kingdom has greatly contributed to the efforts to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its effects on Islamic countries.

According to a statement, Mohammed Al-Jadaan talked about the “exceptional circumstances” the pandemic has presented during Islamic Development Bank annual meetings in Tashkent on Friday.
The finance minister, who is also the IsDB governor, called for cooperation and collaboration among countries in the Islamic world to confront the economic and developmental challenges from COVID-19. He wants member states to procure more vaccines and speed up the vaccination process. 

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The finance minister, who is also the IsDB governor, called for cooperation and collaboration among countries in the Islamic world to confront the economic and developmental challenges from COVID-19. He wants member states to procure more vaccines and speed up the vaccination process.  

Al-Jadaan also said the developed digital infrastructure in the Kingdom assisted the businesses and education sectors despite limitations from pandemic health measures. In his speech, Al-Jadaan said the IsDB’s main objective is boosting economic and social development in the Islamic countries.
He also spoke about efforts such as the Green Saudi Initiative and the Green Middle East in confronting environmental challenges. Al-Jadaan called on the IsDB to enhance the use of the circular carbon economy concept, which was endorsed by the G20 group during the Kingdom’s presidency of the group in 2020.


Saudi Arabia’s KAUST named FIFA’s first research institute in MENA

The canal in the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology campus. (Shutterstock)
Updated 10 February 2026
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Saudi Arabia’s KAUST named FIFA’s first research institute in MENA

  • KAUST President Prof. Sir Edward Byrne said that the university’s selection as the fifth FIFA Research Institute in the world — and the first in the region — marks a significant achievement, reflecting Kingdom’s growing presence in international football

RIYADH: FIFA has designated the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology as its first research institute in the Middle East and Asia to support the development of innovative football research, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The recognition highlights KAUST’s commitment to integrating sports, academic research and industry through advanced, high-level initiatives grounded in rigorous scientific methodologies, contributing to the advancement of football studies.

KAUST President Prof. Sir Edward Byrne said that the university’s selection as the fifth FIFA Research Institute in the world — and the first in the region — marks a significant achievement, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing presence in international football.

The accreditation aligns with national efforts to invest in research and development and promote the knowledge economy, supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s goals of building an advanced sports system based on innovation and sustainability.

The collaboration’s first project focuses on developing advanced AI algorithms to analyze historical FIFA World Cup broadcast footage, transforming decades of match videos into structured, searchable data, according to the KAUST website.

This work opens new opportunities to apply state-of-the-art computer vision techniques and deepen understanding of how football has evolved over time.

The second project uses player and ball tracking data from the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand to compile comprehensive datasets capturing in-game dynamics.

These datasets provide deeper insights into human movement, playing techniques and performance dynamics through AI-driven analysis.