Saudi Arabia joins 80 countries in historic deal on e-commerce

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The deal is expected to make trade faster, cheaper, fairer and more secure, once it is in place. (AN file photo)
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The deal is expected to make trade faster, cheaper, fairer and more secure, once it is in place. (Shutterstock photo)
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Updated 26 July 2024
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Saudi Arabia joins 80 countries in historic deal on e-commerce

  • First digital global rules include recognition of e-signatures and protection against online fraud
  • The agreement also includes a component providing preferential treatment to developing countries

JEDDAH: About 80 countries including Saudi Arabia reached a historic agreement on Friday on rules governing global digital commerce, including recognition of e-signatures and protection against online fraud.

“We negotiated the first global rules on digital trade,” EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said after the deal in Geneva following five years of negotiations.“This will facilitate e-transactions, boost innovation, and integrate developing countries into the digital economy,” he said.

Britain said the agreement would commit all participants to making customs documents and processes digital and recognizing e-documents and e-signatures, and put in place legal safeguards against online fraudsters and misleading claims about products.

Once in place, the deal “will make trade faster, cheaper, fairer and more secure,” Britain said in a statement.

The text of the agreement says the parties will seek to limit spam and protect personal data, as well as offer support to least-developed countries.
Ninety-one of the World Trade Organization’s 166 members took part in the negotiations, including Saudi Arabia, China, Canada, Argentina and Nigeria.
Digital commerce is growing far faster than its traditional counterpart.
The OECD group of economically developed nations says it estimated that in 2020, e-commerce already made up a quarter of global trade, making it worth just under $5 trillion.
Despite its growing importance, “no common set of global rules exist,” said British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Finalizing the negotiations “is a huge step forward in correcting that and ensuring British businesses feel the benefit.”

The talks were launched in 2019, with around 90 negotiating countries — representing 90 percent of the WTO membership — including heavy-hitters like the United States, the European Union and China.
Australia, Japan and Singapore, which have jointly been leading the Initiative on Electronic Commerce talks, presented a joint statement during a closed-door meeting at the WTO confirming that “after five years of negotiations, participants had achieved a stabilized text.”
But actual implementation of a deal could still be years off.
A small number of negotiating countries have yet to sign on, including the United States, Brazil, Indonesia and Turkiye, the declaration said.
“The text released today ... represents an important step forward for the WTO in a sector of growing importance to the global economy,” US ambassador and Deputy US Trade Representative Maria Pagan said in a statement.
But the United States considers that “the current text falls short and more work is needed,” she said, pointing in particular to an “essential security exception.”
The co-conveners of the talks have in recent months stressed the importance of landing a deal, stressing it could facilitate electronic transactions, promote digital trade and foster an open and trusted digital economy.
“This would be the first-ever set of baseline digital trade rules,” Singapore’s ambassador to the WTO Tan Hung Seng said in April.
“It would contribute to the growing e-commerce in our countries by providing greater legal predictability and certainty, against the backdrop of increasing regulatory fragmentation,” he said.
In Friday’s statement, UK Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the agreement aimed “to help people use technology safely by protecting them from fraud, while driving economic growth through the digitalization of trade so it’s faster and more secure.”

Preferential treatment

The agreement also includes a component providing preferential treatment to developing countries.
In addition to paving the way for digitalising customs documents and processes, the text also seeks to make permanent a long-held moratorium exempting electronic transactions from customs duties.
The moratorium has been in place since 1998, and has been extended at each WTO ministerial meeting since. It is currently set to expire in 2026.
“Once in force the agreement will permanently ban customs duties on digital content,” the British statement said.
The aim is to incorporate the digital trade rules into the WTO legal framework, but that would require consensus backing from all members, including those not part of the deal.
That could be tricky at a time when countries like India and South Africa are balking at what they see as a proliferation of plurilateral agreements within the WTO rather than the all-but-impossible multilateral deals backed by all members.
One solution, observers say, could be for the signatories to move the agreement to another international body. But if they do that, they would not be able to rely on the WTO’s mechanism for resolving trade disputes.

(With Agencies)


Netzero and Goumbook forge partnership to accelerate reforestation, carbon offset efforts

Updated 5 sec ago
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Netzero and Goumbook forge partnership to accelerate reforestation, carbon offset efforts

RIYADH: Netzero, a Saudi Arabian environmental startup revolutionizing tree planting, signed an agreement last week with Goumbook, a UAE-based social enterprise emphasizing sustainability and environmental initiatives in the region.

Mohammed Alkhalid, founder and CEO of Netzero, said that the partnership represented a significant milestone, offering global expansion as it showcased Goumbook’s expertise and environmental networks to broaden the impact of Netzero’s creative tree-planting technique.

“This partnership represents a powerful step forward in our mission to reshape the future of our planet,” Alkhalid said. “Together, we are merging technology with nature, community with purpose, and vision with action.

“We believe that afforestation is more than planting trees — it’s about planting the right species in the right place, ensuring transparency in the process, and connecting people to the land and restoring balance to our ecosystems. We are excited to grow this vision together, with a dedicated partner,” he said.

The partnership aims to achieve environmental outcomes throughout the region, including leading large-scale projects for afforestation across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The project will emphasize biodiversity, specifically where each tree will be planted and tracked using artificial intelligence to ensure long-term growth and carbon offset accuracy.

Another objective is establishing a community engagement plan, where people will connect with the two companies through a platform, allowing schools and local communities as well as businesses to sponsor tree planting, and providing them with an opportunity to contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Tatiana Antonelli Abella, founder of Goumbook, said: “We are thrilled to join forces with Netzero in this transformative partnership, which amplifies our shared commitment to environmental stewardship.

“At Goumbook, we believe that every tree planted is a symbol of hope and action — an investment in the future of our planet. By merging Netzero’s AI-driven technology with our deep-rooted knowledge of sustainability and regional ecosystems, we are paving the way for more impactful, data-driven reforestation and afforestation efforts.”

“Together, we are not just planting trees, we are creating resilient ecosystems, empowering communities and taking meaningful steps toward long-term environmental change,” she said.

Netzero is a part of the Sidra Initiative by the Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture, focused on using artificial intelligence to improve reforestation and land management to reduce carbon emissions worldwide.


Top Islamic coalition official meets UN anti-terror chief

Updated 03 October 2024
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Top Islamic coalition official meets UN anti-terror chief

  • Aim of meeting was to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism

RIYADH: The secretary-general of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Moghidi, welcomed the director of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, Mauro Modico, to the coalition’s headquarters in Riyadh.

The aim of their meeting was to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and extremism, and to enhance strategic relations between their organizations. They reviewed several key issues and discussed ways in which they can work together in pursuit of global peace and security.

Modico acknowledged the pivotal role the Islamic coalition plays in efforts to combat extremism and terrorism, praised the strong relationship between the organizations and said he hopes for even greater cooperation in future.

He underscored the importance of forging international partnerships to help promote global security and stability, and said coordination of this kind remains the cornerstone of effective counterterrorism efforts.

His visit to Riyadh coincided with a symposium titled “Future Prospects for Countering Terrorism through Digital Technologies,” which was organized by the coalition.


FEM1 shipping service to Jeddah enhances Mawani’s role

Updated 03 October 2024
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FEM1 shipping service to Jeddah enhances Mawani’s role

  • It comes within the framework of Mawani’s efforts to improve the maritime network’s connectivity index with global shipping lines

RIYADH: The Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, has announced the addition of the new FEM1 shipping service, in partnership with CStar and UGL, to Jeddah Islamic Port.
It aims to enhance the movement of imports and exports to and from the port, supported by reliable and efficient operations in a safe and sustainable environment.
It comes within the framework of Mawani’s efforts to improve the maritime network’s connectivity index with global shipping lines, while enhancing the competitiveness of ports and increasing their connectivity with worldwide locations.
It is in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and aims to promote the Kingdom’s standing as a global logistics center.
The new shipping service connects Jeddah Islamic Port to Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo and Nansha in China, Klang in Malaysia, and Istanbul in Turkiye.
The addition of new maritime shipping services to Jeddah Islamic Port contributes to strengthening its central role due to its distinctive strategic location, enabling it to connect the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.
In addition, it confirms its competitive advantage for exporters, importers and shipping agents as the first port on the Red Sea coast in the field of maritime transit trade, container and cargo transportation.


Saudi Culinary Arts Commission broadens its global reach

The partnership between the Culinary Arts Commission and Sirha Food includes participation in the World Pastry Cup Final.
Updated 03 October 2024
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Saudi Culinary Arts Commission broadens its global reach

  • Saudi Culinary Arts Commission’s CEO, Mayada Badr, emphasized that the collaboration with Sirha Food was key in the development of the Kingdom’s culinary arts

RIYADH: The Saudi Culinary Arts Commission plans to elevate the Kingdom’s food culture in global forums and competitions dedicated to the culinary arts, Saudi Press Agency reported.

This was revealed during the commission’s announcement of a strategic partnership with the international organization Sirha Food.

According to SPA, through this partnership, the Kingdom will host the Middle East regional selection for the prestigious Bocuse d’Or and World Pastry Cup next year, marking a significant milestone in the development of its culinary arts sector.

These prestigious competitions seek to discover the region’s top talent, offering the chance to compete globally and giving Saudi chefs an international platform to showcase their expertise.

The partnership between the Culinary Arts Commission and Sirha Food includes participation in the World Pastry Cup Final, the Bocuse d’Or Final, and the Sirha Exhibition, all set to take place in Lyon, France, in January 2025.

This collaboration builds on the existing partnership between the commission and Sirha Food, which previously brought the Sirha Arabia exhibition to Riyadh, SPA reported.

The commission’s CEO, Mayada Badr, emphasized that the collaboration with Sirha Food was key in the development of the Kingdom’s culinary arts. She said that hosting the regional Bocuse d’Or and the World Pastry Cup, alongside the commission’s participation in Sirha Lyon, reflected a strong commitment to enhancing the Kingdom’s global presence in this field.

Badr said that this partnership was part of the authority’s efforts to elevate the culinary arts sector by forging strategic partnerships that enriched the Kingdom’s culinary landscape. This initiative not only promoted the sector’s growth but also empowered Saudi chefs and nurtured local talent, she said.


Saudi FM participates in Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan poses for a family photo on Thursday at the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit.
Updated 03 October 2024
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Saudi FM participates in Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha

  • Minister said the summit is an important platform through which Asian countries can enhance dialogue and cooperation
  • Ongoing events in Palestine and Lebanon represent a major obstacle to economic development and trade progress, Prince Faisal said

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated on Thursday in the third Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit which is being held in Doha.

Prince Faisal said the summit is an important platform through which Asian countries can enhance dialogue and cooperation in various fields.

He added that development challenges cannot be separated from the tense political and security situations in the region, and that ongoing events in Palestine and Lebanon represent a major obstacle to economic development and trade progress.

“The continuation of aggression and violations in the region hinder the movement of international trade and increase political tensions that threaten the flow of investments and economic cooperation between the countries of the region and the world,” he said.

He said that regional conflicts should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means to ensure the prosperity of the region.

“We thank Asia Cooperation Dialogue countries for their support for the two-state solution and their recognition of the State of Palestine, and we urge the rest of the world to follow suit,” Prince Faisal said.

He also said that the Kingdom believes in the importance of sports diplomacy as an effective means of facilitating constructive dialogue and supporting peace and stability, and “is constantly working to enhance this sector by hosting many major sporting events.”