Riyadh forum promotes cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development

Riyadh forum promotes cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development
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The Social Responsibility Association organized the second Social Responsibility Forum to integrate efforts across sectors to support sustainable development and Vision 2030. (SPA)
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Updated 24 March 2025
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Riyadh forum promotes cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development

Riyadh forum promotes cross-sector partnerships for sustainable development
  • Event, held on Saudi Social Responsibility Day on March 23, raised awareness about the importance of social responsibility in community development and sustainable growth
  • Saud Al-Subaie, chairman of the association, stressed the need for concerted efforts across all sectors to reinforce social responsibility

RIYADH: The Social Responsibility Association in Riyadh organized the second Social Responsibility Forum to integrate efforts across sectors to support sustainable development and Vision 2030.

The event, held on Saudi Social Responsibility Day on March 23, raised awareness about the importance of social responsibility in community development and sustainable growth.

It aimed to strengthen the role of companies in fostering this culture and contributing to societal, economic, and environmental development, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Saud Al-Subaie, chairman of the association, stressed the need for concerted efforts across all sectors to reinforce social responsibility.

He highlighted the complementary roles of the government, private, and nonprofit sectors in creating a positive impact on society and the economy, while promoting a culture of giving.

Abdullah Al-Muhanna, CEO of the association, noted its commitment to building effective partnerships and spreading social responsibility.

He said that the occasion serves as an opportunity to instil values of generosity and solidarity, while enhancing institutional contributions to community service.

Statistics from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development show that the percentage of major companies implementing social responsibility programs increased from 30 percent in 2019 to 65 percent by the end of 2023.

The forum featured two panel discussions on the role of the government, private, and nonprofit sectors in activating social responsibility.

The discussions also covered national experiences, governance of community work, and ways to instill a culture of social engagement among future generations.

Additionally, the forum addressed methods for measuring social responsibility outcomes and adopting impactful programs.

During the event, the Princess Al-Anoud Charity Foundation was honored for its contributions to community initiatives and sustainable development.

Several institutions, private sector entities, and individuals were also recognized for their work.

This year’s Saudi Social Responsibility Day, under the theme “We Commit to Our Social Responsibility,” reaffirmed the role of all entities in fostering a culture of generosity and citizenship.

The event is vital for entrenching the culture of giving and enhancing collaboration across sectors, contributing to sustainable development and raising awareness of commitments toward individuals and institutions.


Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj
Updated 57 min 58 sec ago
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Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj
  • Project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help to alleviate heat and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals
  • Features planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans

MAKKAH: Kidana Development Co., the master developer of the holy sites and the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has implemented a project to provide shade and cooling in the courtyards surrounding the Namira Mosque in Arafat.

The project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help moderate the climate — especially given the intense heat during that time — and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The project, covering 85,000 square meters, includes planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans.

Additionally, the company has completed the planting of 20,000 trees across 290,000 square meters as part of the Green Holy Sites initiative, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to expand green areas and improve the environment.


Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye
Updated 13 May 2025
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Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye
  • Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support
  • 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions

RIYADH: The international combat search and rescue exercise Phoenix of Anatolia began on Monday at Turkiye’s Konya Air Base, with the Royal Saudi Air Force joining units from several other countries.

The Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support, according to Lt. Col. Pilot Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, who leads the Saudi contingent.

“Our team includes six air controllers and aims to improve readiness in realistic conditions while exchanging expertise with other forces,” Al-Mansour said.

The 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions. One focus is training tactical air control teams to coordinate with allied systems, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.

The Saudi delegation arrived last week and was received by Rear Adm. Abdullah bin Gaith, the Kingdom’s military attache in Ankara.


KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population
Updated 13 May 2025
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KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

RIYADH: Dozens of ambulance missions have been carried out by the Souboul Al Salam Association’s ambulance service in the Miniyeh district, northern Lebanon, in a Saudi-funded initiative.

Financially backed by KSrelief, the initiative ran from May 2-5.

The mission aimed to provide transportation and burn treatment for Syrian refugees and the local community.


WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June
Updated 13 May 2025
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WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June
  • Kingdom Arena to hold event on June 27

RIYADH: World Wrestling Entertainment, in collaboration with Riyadh Season, will host the Night of Champions event at the Kingdom Arena, part of the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to creating international entertainment, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.

The SmackDown show will take place on Friday, June 27.

The event will be exclusively live on Peacock in the US but will also be available on Netflix and other outlets for people in Saudi Arabia.


Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI

Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI
Updated 13 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI

Saudi Arabia, US explore ways to build next generation of AI
  • Partnerships key, says David Sacks, Silicon Valley veteran
  • Google’s Ruth Porat outlines her firm’s work in Kingdom

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and US officials discussed ways to further collaborate on artificial intelligence at the Saudi-US Investment Forum here on Tuesday.

The discussions took place during two sessions titled “Pioneering Digital Futures: Joint Leadership in AI and Emerging Technologies,” and “Digital Foundations: Building the Next Generation of AI and Infrastructure.”

In the first session, the speakers were Saudi Minister of Information and Communications Technology Abdullah Alswaha and David Sacks, a Silicon Valley veteran who is helping the administration of President Donald Trump develop the crypto industry.

Sacks said he was impressed, during his tour of some technology companies, that founders and entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia “are really on the cutting edge of what’s happening with AI.”

“The thing that that I’ve learned in Silicon Valley for the past 25 years is that every successful company in Silicon Valley gets to be that way by creating an ecosystem, and the biggest, the most powerful companies … are the ones that create the biggest ecosystem.”

“In fact, they do that by creating a standard. They want everyone to build on top of them. They create app stores, things like that. In fact, they’re able to build these ecosystems without even having any lawyers involved.

“There’s no need for a contract. You just publish an API (Application Programming Interface) and people will build. And I think in a similar way, the United States needs to encourage the world to build on our text that.

He spoke about how Trump challenged them to be at the forefront of the AI race. “He said, we have to win the AI race. The United States has to win the AI race,” Sacks said.

“And the answer is that we have to build the biggest partner ecosystem. We need our friends like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other strategic partners and allies to want to build on our cap.”

Sacks also criticized what has become known as former US President Joe Biden’s diffusion rule.

This restricted access to mainstream computing applications and set caps on the number of advanced chips that could be exported to most countries.

“Over the past few years, that’s been the opposite of the approach in Washington,” said Sacks.

“The Trump administration just announced that (it) would be rescinding what’s known as the Biden diffusion rule, which was a rule that came out in January.”

Using iPhones as an example, Sacks said that if Trump had created a rule for these products, the technology backing it would not have spread throughout the world.

He said that the diffusion of iPhones was “a very good thing” for the US.

“I think in a similar way, we want our technology to diffuse or to spread. We want people to use it. We want to become the standard.

“And I think that in Washington, that mentality is, I think that sorely lacked over the past few years, but we’re gonna bring it back.”

In the later session CEOs and tech innovators discussed growth in this sector globally, and developments in the Kingdom.

Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google, outlined her company’s work in Saudi Arabia.

“Google is now building data centers, bringing graphic processing units, tensor processing units, and developing the most advanced version of our AI software Gemini which is now available in 16 Arabic dialects,” said Porat.