The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques: The pandemic was not...

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said that the new Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic was not an obstacle to the continuity of the Saudi presidency of the G20, but rather stimulated international energies to work and seek solutions to this crisis.On behalf of the King, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan delivered the speech at the Thought Group 20 summit, in which he emphasized the G20’s support for the sustainable development goals, including the acceleration of universal health coverage, especially in light of the pandemic, and requires strengthening international multilateral cooperation to address it in light of What the world is suffering from the effects of the Corona pandemic.

King Salman focused on its importance in uniting international efforts in facing various challenges, especially those affecting humanity, its health, economy and development, most notably trade, investment and growth, climate change, environment and food security, the importance of investment in infrastructure, the future of international multilateral cooperation and global governance. The following is the text of the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques:

In the name of of Allah the Merciful

Peace, mercy and blessings of God

First of all, I would like to thank the Thought Group 20 for this year represented by the President, Al-Sharba, and the participating members from around the world who worked together under the umbrella of this group and discussed solutions to various global challenges, as we all need to cooperate and work together, especially in light of the current conditions accompanying the Corona pandemic. . I would also like to thank, in particular, the King Abdullah Center for Petroleum Studies and Research and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies for their exceptional performance in leading the Thought Group 20 this year.

The pandemic was not an obstacle to the continuity of the Kingdom’s presidency of the Group of Twenty, on the contrary, it stimulated international energies to work and seek solutions to this crisis, as the meetings and workshops of the Kingdom’s Presidency Program and communication groups continued, and to deal with our new reality with courage and creativity, hoping for a better world in stability. And health and food security. Emphasizing the importance of the role of think tanks and research centers in policymaking and consolidating the concept of international action and multilateral cooperation and its importance in unifying international efforts in facing various challenges, Thought Group 20 presented its concept and vision on several topics affecting humanity, its health, economy and development, and the topics varied to include trade, investment and growth. Climate change, environment, food security, the importance of investing in infrastructure, the future of international multilateral cooperation and global governance, and vital issues that affect daily reality, the most important of which are education, the labor market, empowering young people to create their job opportunities, advance themselves and their families, and contribute to global growth.

In Thought Group 20, you emphasized that education in the era of digital innovation includes everyone, without discrimination or discrimination, and at the same time, we affirm the keenness of the Kingdom’s Presidency of the G20 to discuss the need to keep pace with the change in the nature of education and work and to qualify society to acquire new skills that are compatible with the trends The future labor market and providing opportunities for young men and women to build a promising economic future and strengthen social protection systems.

In Thought Group 20, you discussed the G20’s support for the sustainable development goals, including accelerating universal health coverage, especially in light of the pandemic, which are important and vital topics that require strengthening international multilateral cooperation to address them in light of the effects the world is suffering from the effects of the Corona pandemic. Distinguished attendees, it is difficult to talk about protecting the planet and raising the level of our capabilities in dealing with crises and developing global and digital health systems without emphasizing the importance of strengthening international cooperation between governments and international organizations concerned with reaching solutions that suit us and suit future generations. Therefore, the world has united in fighting the Corona pandemic. That threaten public health and the global economy, including the exceptional and resolute measures taken by the countries of the world to preserve humanity and protect people from life-threatening dangers.

In light of the pandemic we are experiencing, the importance of finding ways to strengthen financial systems sufficiently to confront global crises and support the restoration of capital flows to emerging markets and developing countries, and the importance of strengthening and facilitating global trade and international investment routes and benefiting from the digital economy to advance the global economy from its slump.

G20 members have had many opportunities to enhance cooperation and discussions on new ways to face environmental challenges and more effective management of emissions of all kinds, which are essential to achieving international climate goals, and enhancing energy access to meet the requirements of inclusive economic growth and sustainable development for all. We have no doubt that think tanks have a prominent and effective role in supporting economic and social policy-making, and your group has done a great job this year.

We know that the Thought Group 20 has issued many recommendations for these urgent issues and others, and we look forward to coming up with international solutions and initiatives that enhance the role of the G20 with regard to the unified international response to combat the Corona pandemic and its urgent economic, health and social consequences, and other challenges that we all face. The Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the G20 this year made sure to listen to your various recommendations through the meetings of the working groups of the G20 in which you participated. The Kingdom’s presidency showed interest in the outcomes of the meetings of the communication groups, including the Thought Group 20.

And we had reviewed the statement of the joint communication groups prior to the convening of the Extraordinary Leaders’ Summit of the G20 last March, which reviewed ways of cooperation in facing the Corona pandemic, and I referred to the important axes contained in the statement that enhance the international response to the pandemic, including strengthening international capabilities to respond to epidemics And strengthening the global health system and supporting research and development efforts for diagnostic and therapeutic medical pathways, and efforts towards finding a vaccine for the epidemic. Based on what we agreed upon as leaders of the G20 during the Extraordinary Leaders’ Summit, our most important current priorities revolve around saving lives, finding a vaccine for the Corona pandemic and combating its health, social and economic consequences, and working closely to build a strong global health system that helps us fight the existing epidemic and its near-term effects and learn lessons This pandemic is to protect human health and security in the long term.

The presidency of the Kingdom, and based on its motto “Seizing the opportunities of the twenty-first century for all and making it work to empower mankind, preserve the planet and form new horizons, we congratulate you today on a year in which many of the challenges that the whole world faced did not prevent us from working together towards a better future.” We had hoped that hosting the 20 summit of the Connecting Thought Group would be in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom, but unfortunately, the pandemic prevented us from that, and we look forward to your visit to the Kingdom after the end of the pandemic, so that you will find the most beautiful hosting and enjoy the genuine generosity. We wish you a successful summit for this year and continued success in the coming years, and we look forward to receiving the group’s final statement.

Peace, mercy and blessings of God.