Khalid bin Hmoud Al-Qahtani
COLOMBO : The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established its leadership in the Arab, Islamic and international arenas in hosting international summits and conferences, becoming a beacon of dialogue, a platform for decision-making, and a model to be emulated and pointed to in every forum and place.
Over the decades, the Kingdom has hosted numerous summits that brought together world leaders and heads of state, discussing issues and drawing up effective solutions to common challenges, from Islamic, Arab and international summits to international conferences and meetings. These summits and conferences are numerous, and the Kingdom is the main fixed axis, and it is at the forefront of those seeking peace and sustainable development, achieving the interests of peoples, and benefiting all of humanity.
The year 2024 of which a few days are left has enshrined this Saudi approach, and the Kingdom began it by hosting numerous summits and conferences in various fields (political, economic, security and environmental…), consolidating the Kingdom’s position and influence in the community regionally and internationally.
On the political level, the joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, resulted in the formation of an Arab-Islamic ministerial committee headed by the Kingdom, which contributed to formulating an international move to stop the war on Gaza, represented by the launch of the international coalition to implement the two-state solution in cooperation with the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway. Riyadh hosted the first meeting of the coalition on October 30, 2024. As an extension of these efforts and based on the generous directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and in continuation of the efforts made by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in coordination with his brothers, the leaders of the sister Arab and Islamic countries; Riyadh hosted the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit on November 11, 2024.
On the economic level, the events of the third edition of the International Mining Conference were held in Riyadh from January 9 to 11, 2024, with the participation of more than 14,000 participants from investment leaders, heads of major mining companies, and technical experts and specialists in this field from 133 countries, in addition to 100 sponsors and exhibitors, while 250 speakers from Their Excellencies the Ministers, Ambassadors, and heads of delegations of the countries participating in the conference participated in the 70 sessions of the conference.
On January 24, 2024, the Future of Real Estate Forum was held in Riyadh with the participation of about 300 speakers from 85 countries, representing the government and private sectors, in addition to an elite group of economists, investors, decision-makers, and experts in the real estate sector system at the local and international levels. The forum resulted in the signing of 50 agreements and memoranda of understanding, with a total value exceeding 100 billion riyals.
The capital, Riyadh, hosted the special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on April 28 and 29, 2024, with the attendance and participation of a number of heads of state, and more than 1,000 senior officials, international experts, opinion leaders and thinkers from the government and private sectors, international organizations and academic institutions from 92 countries; thus, the meeting recorded the largest attendance witnessed by the forum outside Davos.
It also hosted the events of the Future of Aviation 2024 Conference in its third edition from May 20 to 22, 2024, with the participation of more than 8,500 experts and leaders of the global aviation sector, and a high-level attendance that included 31 ministers and 77 leaders of civil aviation authorities in 130 countries. The conference resulted in the signing of 102 memoranda of understanding, agreements and deals with a total value exceeding 75 billion riyals.
The first edition of the international conference specializing in the financial technology sector “24FinTech” was held in the capital, Riyadh, from September 3 to 5, 2024, where it witnessed the launch of many products and initiatives that highlight the development of a promising sector in line with national aspirations for the Kingdom to be a global center in this field.
Riyadh hosted the first edition of the World Logistics Forum on October 12 and 14, 2024, with the participation of more than 130 experts and leaders of the global transportation and logistics sector, and the attendance of 13,000 visitors, where the attendance included more than 15 ministers and 77 leaders of the transportation and logistics sector representing more than 30 countries.
With the wide participation of global leaders, policy makers, and industry experts, the Kingdom hosted the Multilateral Industrial Policy Forum (MIPF) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) from October 23 to 24, 2024, with the attendance and participation of a number of Their Excellencies the Ministers, leaders of industrial transformation from around the world, and local experts, thinkers, investors, and researchers…( The writer is the ambassador of Saudi Arabia in COLOMBO)
