Saudi Cabinet intends Sudan donor conference to support humanitarian efforts

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Updated 14 June 2023
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Saudi Cabinet intends Sudan donor conference to support humanitarian efforts

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host on June 19 the “Donor Conference for Sudan and the Region” to provide humanitarian support for Sudan during the ongoing crises.

A Foreign Ministry statement on Tuesday said that Saudi Arabia would co-chair the conference with Qatar, Egypt, Germany, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the EU, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Cabinet on Tuesday expressed the Kingdom’s aspiration for a wide participation in the conference, reaffirming its continued efforts to bring the conflicting sides closer to end the crisis through political dialogue.

In a different arena, the Cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the ministerial meeting to defeat Daesh, which was held in Riyadh, regarding mechanisms and procedures aimed at enhancing cooperation and coordinating joint efforts in this field. It backed the Kingdom’s chairmanship of the focus group on African affairs to confront Daesh, and working to establish a focus group to combat the organization of ISIS Khorasan in Afghanistan.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken following the ministerial meeting that threat of the terrorist organization is not limited to Sahel countries, but rather extends to the whole world. 

He added that the Kingdom is making great efforts to combat the financing of Daesh.

Blinken said that the US would provide nearly $150 million in aid for areas in Syria and Iraq that were liberated from the Daesh extremist group.

The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh includes more than 80 countries and continues to coordinate action against the extremist group, which at its height controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq. 

At the Cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the officials discussed the results of the joint ministerial meeting between the GCC foreign ministers and the United States, citing aspects of the strategic partnerships between aimed at enhancing peace, security, stability, integration and economic prosperity in the Middle East.

The Cabinet reiterated, during the second ministerial meeting between the Arab League and the Pacific Small Island Developing States, the Kingdom’s keenness to confront the mutual and urgent global challenges, including food security, supply chains, climate change and sustainable development.

The meeting, which was hosted in Riyadh, expressed support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030. 

Discussing the 10th Arab-China Business Conference, the ministers commended the unprecedented number of attendance, which exceeded 3,500 participants representing 26 countries, and the signing of agreements with a total value of over $10 billion. 

The agreements signed in the Kingdom focused on various sectors including technology, renewables, agriculture, real estate, minerals, supply chains, tourism, and healthcare.

According to the Investment Ministry, the Saudi government signed deals with several Chinese entities for projects including a joint venture for automotive research, development, manufacturing and sales, development of tourism and other apps, and production of rail wagons and wheels in the Kingdom.

Locally, The ministers commended the IMF’s praising of the remarkable growth in the Saudi economy as a result of the continued development of the non-oil sector at a high pace, the tangible recovery in investments, and the continued implementation of economic reforms aimed at achieving comprehensive and sustainable growth.


Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait

Updated 12 February 2026
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Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait

  • Saudi Tourism Minister says tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy, contributing about $10 trillion to global GDP 

KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb has called for stronger international cooperation to build a tourism ecosystem that is integrated, resilient, and future-ready, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.

In a opening address at the 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East in Kuwait City, he noted that tourism is “no longer a peripheral activity but a massive engine of economic development.”

“With an estimated contribution exceeding $10 trillion to global GDP, tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy,” said Al-Khateeb, speaking as president of the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly. The three-day conference opened on Feb. 10.

He pointed to the Middle East’s exceptional recovery, which recorded a 39 percent increase in international arrivals in 2025 compared to 2019, welcoming nearly 100 million visitors last year.

The minister highlighted Saudi Arabia’s driving force behind these regional statistics, noting that the Kingdom now represents approximately 30% of the Middle East tourism market in both visitor numbers and spending.

“We are proud that Saudi tourism’s uninterrupted growth has become a driving force for regional tourism, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with UN Tourism to share our expertise with the world,” he said.

Focus on AI

Addressing the meeting’s central theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Al-Khateeb emphasized the need for responsible innovation. He described AI as a key enabler for growth but stressed that the “human touch” defining the hospitality sector must be maintained and the workforce protected.

On the sidelines of the regional commission, the minister met with counterparts from across the region to explore ways to promote regional cooperation and alignment to enhance resilience and build tourism industries that can drive inclusive economic and social development.

Al-Khateeb also met with leading investors from Kuwait to discuss investments in the Kingdom’s tourism sector and explore new opportunities to leverage Saudi Arabia’s integrated investment ecosystem, designed to enable regional and international investors to achieve sustainable, long-term value.

The 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East is the first held in the region since the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly, hosted in Riyadh last November. 

That assembly resulted in the historic “Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism,” which established a global consensus on sustainability, inclusive growth, and the responsible adoption of human-centric AI for the next fifty years.