$38m Saudi loan to boost Tunisia’s southern regions

RIYADH: A Saudi team from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture is taking part in a training program organized by the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

The team includes 12 specialists from the ministry’s water agency, the Saudi Irrigation Organization, and the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The course, being held in Lanzhou, China, from July 3-22, focuses on rainwater harvesting technologies and their applications. It is attended by representatives from China’s Ministry of Water Resources, along with several water experts and specialists.

The ministry said its participation aligns with efforts to implement international agreements and memoranda of understanding with partner countries. The course provides a unique platform for exchanging expertise in water-related fields, particularly rainwater harvesting, it added.

The course also covers the design of harvesting systems in rural and urban areas, improvement of collected water quality management and advanced purification technologies, the SPA added.

Supplementary irrigation techniques, economic evaluation of harvesting projects, concepts of sponge cities, water reuse, and the role of harvesting technologies in combating desertification and promoting sustainability are also explored.

The ministry said that the training features scientific lectures, practical workshops and field visits to innovative projects in several Chinese provinces.

The visits showcase systems for securing drinking water from rain, irrigated agriculture projects, sponge city initiatives, and integrated environmental models linking water technologies with urban and rural sustainability.

The ministry highlighted the importance of strengthening international cooperation and building national capacity in water management, according to the SPA.

This reflects its integrated approach to developing technical competencies, exchanging expertise with leading countries, advancing the water system and promoting sustainable, innovative solutions to water challenges in line with Vision 2030 goals.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, has reaffirmed the Kingdom’s support for Afghanistan’s security and stability, emphasizing the importance of respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Speaking during a UN General Assembly session in New York on the situation in Afghanistan, Al-Wasil expressed the Kingdom’s concern over the humanitarian and economic challenges facing the Afghan people.

He called for intensified international efforts to provide urgent relief and essential support to ease their suffering, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The envoy highlighted the Kingdom’s humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people through its aid agency, KSrelief. He underscored the importance of empowering Afghan women by promoting their rights in education, employment, and public life. 

Al-Wasil also emphasized the critical need to prevent Afghan territory from being used as a base for terrorist activities or drug trafficking, warning of the threats these pose to regional and global security.

He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to continuing its support for political, humanitarian, and development initiatives aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan. 

So far, KSrelief has implemented 57 projects worth almost $54 million in Afghanistan, according to the agency’s website. 

The projects cover food security, health, education, water and sanitation, as well as humanitarian emergency relief coordination.