The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, confirmed that Saudi Arabia has provided, through the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action, more than $1.3 billion in aid to the countries of the Caribbean region, while the Saudi Fund for Development is currently working on projects amounting to $242.6 million in the region.
This came during the foreign minister’s speech at the 28th meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in Guatemala, in which he said:
Saudi Arabia has been keen to expand relations of friendship and cooperation with the countries of the Caribbean region, and the important element in this participation is our relationship with the Association of Caribbean States, which reflects our broad relations with the region, as the Association plays an important role in strengthening regional cooperation and advancing collective action on issues in which we share an interest. Such as: trade, climate change, sustainable development, and others.
Our countries share the belief in the importance of ensuring peace, security and stability in order to refocus efforts towards national development and mutual prosperity, and the diversity of the level of threats and challenges facing the international community requires us to improve the speed and effectiveness of global cooperation, while ensuring that a variety of concerns are taken into account, especially for developing countries in particular. Enough, and as such, Saudi Arabia remains committed to working with international partners to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
We talked about the need to intensify global efforts to enhance global food and energy security amid recurring crises and supply chain issues.
Saudi Arabia is also a leader in providing humanitarian and development aid worldwide, and is among the top 10 donors to low- and middle-income countries. The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center is at the forefront of disaster response and relief efforts, providing more than $1.3 billion in aid to Caribbean countries.
The Saudi Fund for Development greatly supports core projects and acts as an integral part of our expanding global partnerships.
In the Caribbean, the Fund is currently working on projects amounting to $242.6 million, has recently approved 11 loans worth more than $510 million, and the Fund is evaluating additional pipeline participation of $260 million in several sectors, including health. infrastructure, renewable energy and water.
Saudi Arabia is also committed to promoting common priorities of concern within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, along with other developing countries from the Caribbean region, and we are engaging global partners in advancing various initiatives that enable greater climate action, in the context of different national conditions and efforts towards sustainable development.
Through the Middle East Green Initiative, Saudi Arabia announced the Clean Cooking Initiative, which aims to reach 750 million people globally, and the Circular Carbon Economy Fund was launched, among many other initiatives.
Saudi Arabia has reached the halfway point of Vision 2030, an important journey that focused on benefiting from our capabilities, capabilities and partnerships towards a prosperous and sustainable future, and we look forward to finding more opportunities to further develop relations between our countries.
