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Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar received the recently appointed Ambassador of Norway to Saudi Arabia Kjersti Tromsdal in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Prince Faisal wished the ambassador success in her new duties, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Meanwhile, Madinah Gov. Prince Salman bin Sultan met with Bangladeshi Consul General Miah Md. Mainul Kabir in Madinah on Wednesday.
During the meeting, they discussed various topics of common interest.
NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia serves as a leading example to the world for digital transformation, the director-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization said on Monday.
It came as the organization announced a slew of new measures to help lift developing countries out of so-called “digital poverty.”
Hajar El-Haddaoui was speaking in New York City, a day after her Riyadh-headquartered global institution signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with the Future Investment Initiative Institute, a nonprofit organization run by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Launched in 2020 during Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20, the DCO began with five members: the Kingdom, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Pakistan. Over the past five years, membership has grown to 16 states from the Arab world, Africa, Europe and Asia, with a combined population of about 800 million people and total gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion.
During a briefing held alongside the 80th UN General Assembly, El-Haddaoui outlined the DCO’s newest initiatives, including: “WE-Elevate,” a scheme designed to empower female entrepreneurs in the digital economy; a landmark treaty on the use of artificial intelligence; partnerships with prominent organizations such as the World Economic Forum and UN Women; collaborations with tech giants such as Microsoft, Nvidia and TikTok; and the launch of a comprehensive data analysis tool to help countries address digital deficiencies.
At its core, the DCO is committed to providing a multilateral platform, or “ecosystem,” involving public and private partners, to help solve digital issues, El-Haddaoui said.
“For example, for the disinformation initiative, governments are working to really tackle this important point, which is misinformation,” she added.
“But what we do is to bring them all sides; we bring social media companies, the government and the youth together at the same table.
“That’s the power of the DCO: convening all those key stakeholders to (provide) a solution and be more action-oriented than just declaration-oriented.”
A number of world-leading companies have joined the DCO as observers, providing the organization and its member states with support for efforts to bridge the digital divide. They include Deloitte, IBM, Oracle, Visa and KPMG.
During an interview with Arab News, El-Haddaoui was asked for the key message from her organization this year.
“The main message that we are bringing is the coordination of multilateralism, and to have less fragmentation in what we do through the digital economy,” she said.
“The importance of digital, in one layer and across industries and sectors, is today one of the priorities that the global economy has, and it’s important to play a role and collaborate with other organizations, like the UN, to empower countries through their digital transformation.”
Combining efforts with other multilateral organizations will help to “overcome the challenge” of the global digital divide, El-Haddaoui said.
In addition to private partners, the organization has signed landmark agreements with major international organizations to help bolster its ecosystem and provide member states with access to critical financing for digital development. It has also organized foreign direct investment in places such as in Pakistan, which this year received more than $700 million in funding commitments for digital upgrades.
“What we do is to connect the supply with the demand in the country, and tackle the competitive advantage of each and every country,” El-Haddaoui said.
The effectiveness of the DCO ecosystem is evident in member state Rwanda, she added, where efforts to empower local female entrepreneurs are bearing fruit.
“Mobilizing the global financing for digital development is really important,” El-Haddaoui said. “Here, our consortium of funding institutes help us to elevate and scale our initiatives in the member states.
“We’ve seen that women are very active in growing GDP and that’s what we boost: GDP and job creation. We’ve done a pilot in Rwanda by moving women from offline businesses to e-commerce, not only serving them with a platform but enhancing their skills capacity. They are financially savvy, trade savvy, e-commerce savvy.
“We provided them with the platform, through our partners and observers, … that has helped us through this pilot to elevate more than 150 businesses, creating 30,000 jobs.”
The DCO now plans to take its WE-Elevate Rwanda pilot scheme global and it is expected to create 250,000 jobs, El-Haddaoui added, “helping to create GDP and job creation for each and every nation.”
In an era of rapid technological progress and what has been termed the “AI age,” however, governments are struggling to appropriately prioritize the roll-out of the best technologies for the job, she said. As an illustration of this, she highlighted the example of an African country that had focused on upgrading the use of AI while only 20 percent of its population was connected to the internet.
To help governments “navigate the gap,” the DCO is about to roll out DEN 2.0, an update to its comprehensive Digital Economy Navigator. The tool, the new version of which will be launched in November, analyzes the state of digital economies in 80 countries using a vast array of data indicators, with the aim of gaining insights needed to “propose actions for policymakers, investors and innovators.”
By pooling their national digital policy efforts, DCO member states can follow leading examples from each other on a “plug and play” basis, El-Haddaoui said.
Projects implemented by Saudi Arabia have been borrowed by African countries, for example, resulting in “high speed, more efficiency and less investment because it’s a successful model,” she added. Similarly, other countries in the Arab world have also adopted technologies pioneered by Saudi Arabia, particularly in terms of government e-services.
The Kingdom is “one of the leading countries that we have in the digital transformation,” El-Haddaoui said.
This is due to Saudi Arabia’s “appetite for partnership, collaboration (and) cooperation,” she added, “and not only the way they collaborate with other nations or other member states” but also the way in which they “replicate and ‘plug and play’ the best practices, and I think it’s one of the best examples we have.”
El-Haddaoui gave the example of Absher, a digital app developed by the Saudi Ministry of Interior that provides access to a range of government services.
“What we do is provide the other countries with a solution that Saudi put in place, like Absher; it’s click, click and enter: you have everything,” she said.
Jordan is in the process of implementing a similar e-government platform based on this Saudi model, she added.
“The complete change that is happening today in Saudi is also very remarkable,” El-Haddaoui said, adding that the Arab world as a whole offers ample opportunities for cutting-edge digital transformation, as well as improvements to essential connectivity in less digitally advanced countries.
“We have, for example, very advanced (digital) countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, but also others that are emerging, like Morocco,” she said.
“The technology is starting really to accelerate the digital transformation. However, it’s a very interesting market with a massive youth population and also rapid technology adoption.”
One of the centerpieces of the latest DCO initiatives is a prospective treaty on AI, which is due to be launched early next year during the organization’s general assembly. It will provide guidance for all member states on an agreed code of conduct for the use of AI, with the potential for this to expand worldwide.
“What we want is really to have it in our member states, and then to replicate it in other countries with the collaboration and cooperation of other international organizations … plug and play in other regions,” El-Haddaoui said.
The enhancement of national resilience through an inclusive digital economy is a crucial aim of the DCO, she added, pointing out that 2.8 billion people worldwide lack internet access.
“It’s important. We cannot talk about luxury (development) when we don’t have the foundations. How to close this gap is really what we stand for today,” she said.
“Let us be the generation that chooses to have a digital economy that is more prosperous, more inclusive, but also with peace. And that’s my message and the message of this year.”
NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution to the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, during a peace conference co-chaired by the Kingdom and France at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.
Saudi authorities also called for global recognition of the State of Palestine, and an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza and the West Bank.
Delivering a statement on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Salman, began by sharing greetings from King Salman, along with the crown prince’s best wishes for the success of the conference.
He also thanked the French president, Emmanuel Macron, for the formal declaration of France’s recognition of the State of Palestine.
The one-day Saudi-French conference took place amid escalating violence in the Middle East. Prince Faisal condemned Israel’s ongoing aggression in Gaza, the West Bank and Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem), including what he described as “brutal crimes,” as well as “repeated attacks on the sovereignty of Arab and Muslim countries,” citing in particular the recent Israeli strike on Doha.
“These actions underline the insistence of Israel to continue with its aggressive practices that threaten regional and international peace and stability and undermine efforts of peace in the region,” he said.
Only the implementation of a two-state solution can bring lasting peace, he added.
Prince Faisal also welcomed the recent successful vote by the UN General Assembly on the “New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” in which 142 member states out of 193 voted in favor.
“This reflects the will of the international community to render justice to the Palestinian people and consolidate their legal, historic rights in line with international frameworks, relevant UN resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative,” he added.
He said Saudi Arabia stands ready to work with France and other peace-seeking nations to follow up on the outcomes of Monday’s conference, help end the war in Gaza, halt unilateral actions that undermine Palestinian sovereignty, and establish an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In his closing remarks, Prince Faisal thanked those states that have already officially recognized the State of Palestine, or plan to do so, and urged others to take “a similar historic step.”
He added: “Such action will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards the implementation of the two-state solution, achieving permanent and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and finding a new reality whereby the region can enjoy peace, stability and prosperity.”
In the name of God, the Merciful, the compassionate,
Your Excellency President of the Republic of France, your Excellency Secretary General, your Excellency President of the General Assembly, distinguished guests,
God, peace, and blessings be upon you. I have the honor to deliver the statement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a co-chair of this conference, on behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom.
It is my pleasure to convey to you the greetings of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and his wishes along with the crown prince’s wishes for the success of this conference. We thank His Excellency President Macron and His Excellency Antonio Guterres for their efforts towards achieving the two-state solution; we thank him also for recognizing the State of Palestine.
This conference is co-chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France at a time when the Israeli occupation authorities continue their aggression and their brutal crimes against our brothers the Palestinians in Gaza Strip and its violations in the West Bank and Al-Quds Al-Sharif and its repeated attacks on the sovereignty of Arab and Muslim countries, the latest of which was the attack against Qatar.
This underlines the insistence of Israel to continue with its aggressive practices that threaten regional and international peace and stability and undermine efforts of peace in the region. This reiterates our deeply rooted conviction that the implementation of the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and permanent peace.
The historic position of his Excellency the French President to recognize the State of Palestine, and the fact that many countries have taken this similar courageous position, and the broad support for the resolution of the General Assembly to adopt (the declaration) the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution that received 142 votes in its favor reflects the will of the international community to render justice to the Palestinian people and consolidate their legal historic right in line with international frameworks and relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The Kingdom is keen on continuing its partnership with France and all countries calling for peace to follow up on the implementation of the outcomes of this conference to put an end to the war in Gaza and stop all unilateral measures that threaten Palestinian sovereignty, to work on ending the conflict in the region, and establish the Palestinian independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In conclusion, we thank again those countries that have recognized or have announced their intention to recognize the State of Palestine; we call all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact on supporting the efforts towards the implementation of the two-state solution, achieve permanent and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, and find a new reality whereby the region can enjoy peace, stability, and prosperity.
Thank you.
Saudi Arabia and France issued a statement after the peace conference at the UN General Assembly.
1. We, Leaders of the Republic of France and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Co-Chairs of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, commend States who gathered at the United Nations in New York on the 22nd of September 2025 at a historically critical moment for peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.
2. The High-Level International Conference led to the adoption of the New York Declaration endorsed by the General Assembly with an outstanding majority of 142 votes. This ambitious declaration reaffirms the unwavering international commitment to the Two-State solution and charts an irreversible pathway to build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and all peoples of the region.
3. As we are gathered, the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate with the intensification of the Israeli ground offensive in Gaza city, and with civilians and hostages paying an unjustifiable price due to the ongoing war. The New York Declaration aims at providing a principled, yet realistic alternative to the cycle of violence and endless wars.
4. It is now time for the international community to move from words to deeds. We commend the important work done by the seventeen co-chairs of the working groups of the conference to draw a path for a swift implementation of the Two-State solution. We call on all States to swiftly implement the New York declaration through tangible, concrete and irreversible measures. We welcome the important commitments and measures already taken by UN Member States.
5. We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Denmark, Andorra, Monaco and San Marino, alongside France, confirmed today at the United Nations’ General Assembly. We invite States which have not done so to join this movement.
6. Ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the release of all hostages remains our absolute priority. We call for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, exchange of prisoners, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
7. In order to secure the Day After for Palestinians and Israelis, we commit to supporting the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission upon invitation by the Palestinian Authority, to be mandated by the UN Security Council, in line with the New York Declaration. Meanwhile, we commit to scaling up our support to train and equip Palestinian police and security forces, building on existing programs, including USSC, EUPOLCOPPS and EUBAM Rafah.
8. We stress the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority. We welcome the “One State, One Government, One Law, One Gun” policy of the Palestinian Authority and pledge our continued support to its implementation. In the context of ending the war in Gaza, we reiterate that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza, disarm and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign Palestinian State.
9. This Conference, and the recognition of Palestine, aims at the realization of a sovereign, democratic and economically viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel. In that regard, we commend the historic commitments made by President Mahmoud Abbas including to the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, the continued rejection of violence and terrorism, and his statement that the Palestinian State has no intention to be a militarized State and is ready to work on security arrangements beneficial to all parties, in full respect of its sovereignty.
10. We welcome the reforms already underway by the Palestinian Authority, including:
The abrogation of the prisoners’ payment system, that is now effective;
The schooling/curricula reform, under EU supervision and with Saudi support;
The commitment to hold democratic and transparent general and presidential elections within a year after a ceasefire, enabling democratic competition between Palestinian actors committed to respect the PLO platform and principles.
We support President Abbas in advancing further measures to reform the governance of the Palestinian Authority.
11. We welcome the launching of the Emergency Coalition for Palestine to mobilize emergency budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority. We invite all States and international organizations to join this effort. We reiterate our call for the immediate release by Israel of withheld Palestinian tax revenues and commit to the revision of the Paris Protocol on Economic Relations and the establishment of a new framework for clearance revenue transfers.
12.We urge the Israeli leadership to seize this opportunity for peace, and to issue a clear public commitment to the Two-State solution, immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians, halt all settlement, land grabs, and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and put an end to settlers’ violence. As a first step, we urge Israel to rescind the E1 project, and publicly renounce any annexation project. We reiterate that any form of annexation is a redline for the international community that bears serious consequences and constitutes a direct risk to existing and future peace agreements.
13.In that regard, we welcome concrete measures taken by Member States to respond to unilateral measures against the Two-State solution and to violations of international law until Israel puts an end to actions that are endangering the Two-State solution, in full compliance with international law.
14.We reaffirm that ending the Israeli occupation and achieving just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on the relevant UN resolutions, is the only way to achieve full regional integration, as provided for in the Arab Peace initiative. In that regard, we welcome the commitment to explore a regional security architecture that could provide security guarantees for all, building on the experience of ASEAN and OSCE, paving the way for a more stable Middle East. We reiterate our support to renewed effort on the Syria-Israel and Lebanon-Israel tracks with the aim of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, in accordance with international law and the relevant UN resolutions.
15.We reiterate our call to all States to join this dynamic to ensure peace and security for all in the Middle East, mutual recognition and full regional integration.
RIYADH: Many young people in Saudi Arabia are embracing traditional crafts through a number of training programs and workshops that link cultural identity with modern opportunity.
Hammad Al-Shammari, a young craftsman specializing in mud construction, said his journey began during the excavation of a historic home.
“There, I felt the value of old buildings, with their decorations, columns, and authentic architectural features,” he told Arab News recently.
“From that moment, my passion for restoring traditional homes was born.”
Al-Shammari went on to specialize in mud construction at the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, or Wrth, where he trained in structural and restoration techniques.
“Wrth has been the greatest blessing in my journey,” he said. “It helped me develop my craft skills both practically and academically … I learned how to connect heritage identity with contemporary innovation.”
Wrth focuses on strengthening national identity through traditional arts. The organization trains young Saudis, honors master craftspeople, preserves both tangible and intangible heritage and raises awareness at home and abroad.
Al-Shammari said architecture reflects the Kingdom’s cultural richness.
“Each region has its own unique features, from the Al-Qatt Al-Asiri decorations of the south, to Hijazi plasterwork, Najdi mud-and-wood architecture, to the beauty of the eastern buildings that still retain their charm.”
“The greatest challenge was reviving old memories and practices within a modern society in a unique and high-quality way. I overcame this through patience, curiosity, and by learning from the experiences of elders and those with long practice,” he added.
Mamdouh Al-Harbi, an urban heritage researcher, highlighted the importance of passing on skills.
“Knowledge transfer is the lifeline of heritage crafts, without it, these practices risk becoming static artifacts in museums rather than living traditions,” he said.
He noted that in the past, crafts were family-based livelihoods, passed from parents to children. Industrialization and urban growth, however, caused many practices to decline.
Today, Vision 2030 and new legislation have reversed the trend.
“Traditional crafts have transformed from endangered practices into a promising creative sector that links national identity with economic development,” Al-Harbi said.
He added that youth engagement now reflects creativity and entrepreneurship. Modern technologies such as 3D printing and virtual reality are being introduced into training programs, while heritage motifs are finding their way into public buildings.
“Showcasing youth success stories that turn crafts into entrepreneurial projects reshapes public perception,” he said.
He added: “Heritage crafts will only remain attractive to youth if they are freed from rigidity and reimagined as spaces of contemporary creativity.
“Today’s generation, raised in an era of technology, engages with crafts not as repetitive traditional skills but as opportunities for experimentation, innovation, and a renewed connection to identity.”
Heritage crafts are also creating career pathways. Graduates can work in restoration projects, museums, and cultural festivals, or establish businesses in heritage-inspired decor, fashion, and tourism.
Among the more specialized crafts is manuscript-making, where young artisans learn skills that date back centuries.
Faisal Al-Jarallah, a young craftsman specializing in manuscripts, said his passion developed unexpectedly.
“Honestly, at first it wasn’t passion that led me to this field. I was assigned to work in the manuscripts department against my will. I feared it and saw it as a burden. But now, I have become passionate about it,” he said.
He described the process as “the art of making books by hand … preparing paper, creating inks from natural materials, calligraphy, gilding, ornamentation, and binding.”
He noted that Saudi Arabia holds 27 percent of the manuscripts in the Islamic world, calling it “a heavy responsibility that requires proper preservation.”
He added that the Kingdom is now moving “from preservation to presentation.”
National programs, he added, have been instrumental. “I believe the movement and competitiveness created by national initiatives are the real drivers of creativity in the field of crafts.
“Initiatives like the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, Wrth, have played a major role in shaping this cultural scene and supporting artisans,” he said.
He described manuscripts as “a repository of diverse knowledge and sciences,” and said traditional crafts remain powerful symbols of identity.
“When a young person learns the craft of their ancestors, they not only acquire a manual skill but also connect with their roots, fostering a sense of belonging and pride,” he added.
RIYADH: Minister of the Saudi National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz received Korea’s Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back and Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Seok Jong-gun in Riyadh on Monday.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed topics of mutual interest and reviewed ways to strengthen defense cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
They also explored opportunities to develop partnerships within the military industries.
RIYADH: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in partnership with the National Center for Privatization & PPP, and Qiddiya Investment Company, has launched the registration phase for companies and entities vying to implement the first phase of the Qiddiya high-speed rail project, under a public-private partnership model.
“The RCRC, in collaboration with Qiddiya Investment Company and the National Center for Privatization & PPP, announces the start of the Expression of Interest phase for the construction of the Qiddiya high-speed rail project,” the RCRC said on its official account on X.
“The Qiddiya high speed rail aims to strengthen vital transport links across Riyadh, by providing a high-speed rail connection between King Salman International Airport, King Abdullah Financial District and Qiddiya City in less than 30 minutes,” it said in another post on X.
“With speeds of up to 250 km/h, it will serve as a central mode of the capital’s modern transport network, enhancing the travel experience, and facilitating access to Riyadh’s key destinations,” it added.
It will be a major component of Riyadh’s transportation system, complementing the city’s newly launched public transport network and offering an integrated urban mobility experience.
Welcoming the announcement, Thamr Alotaibi, a Riyadh resident, told Arab News: “Glad to know that RCRC has invited bids for the Qiddiya high speed rail. It will certainly start a new era of smart mobility in the capital. Aiming to connect major landmarks — King Salman International Airport, King Abdullah Financial District and Qiddiya City within 30 minutes, through a super-fast rail line with a top speed of 250 km per hour, it will make commuting easier, traffic free, faster and smarter.”
The initiative reflects RCRC’s strategy, in collaboration with the National Center for Privatization & PPP and Qiddiya Investment Company, to establish strategic partnerships with the private sector to expand Riyadh’s transport infrastructure.
It also aims to enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors while promoting sustainable urban growth in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Vision 2030 focuses on transforming the Kingdom into a global logistics hub by developing advanced transport infrastructure, enhancing efficiency and promoting private-sector investment, with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy serving as the primary guide for achieving these goals.
NTLS is considered the main guide to develop the strategies of transport modes and logistic services and provide effective governance between transport modes to facilitate the connection and engagement between them.
Specialized companies and interested investors are invited to submit registration applications by Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, via email at qhsr@rcrc.gov.sa.
