Under the patronage of His Excellency Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Chairman of the Ministerial Council of the Green Middle East Initiative and President of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, a strategic memorandum of understanding was signed today at the ministry's headquarters in Riyadh between the Green Middle East Initiative and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to enhance cooperation in addressing challenges of land degradation and desertification and to support efforts for vegetation cover development at regional and international levels.

The memorandum was signed on behalf of the Green Middle East Initiative by the initiative's Secretary-General, Engineer Ibrahim Al-Turki, and on behalf of the UNCCD by its Executive Secretary, Dr. Yasmin Fouad.

The memorandum aims to establish a cooperative and sustainable framework between the two parties to address environmental challenges, coordinate regional and international efforts to rehabilitate degraded lands and develop vegetation cover through information and expertise exchange, capacity building, and knowledge transfer in the fields of combating land degradation, in addition to raising awareness among the initiative's member states about the importance of sustainable management of natural resources.

The memorandum also includes enhancing international cooperation and developing partnerships with the Global Land Initiative, launched by the Kingdom during its presidency of the G20 summit in 2020, to support international efforts aimed at reducing desertification and preserving ecosystems.

Under the agreement, the two parties will work to expand the scope of joint activities and programs and mobilize the necessary technical and financial resources to support vegetation cover development and desertification control projects in the region, thereby enhancing the achievement of the Green Middle East Initiative's goals and aligning with global trends aimed at environmental protection and restoration of degraded ecosystems.

This memorandum is an extension of the Kingdom's leading role in spearheading regional and international environmental action through the Green Middle East Initiative and embodies the efforts of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in building effective international partnerships that contribute to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, enhancing environmental sustainability, reducing land degradation, and developing vegetation cover to preserve natural resources and ensure their sustainability for future generations.