Riyadh (UNA/SPA) - The fourth President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, praised the pioneering role played by the Kingdom in the field of environmental development, during a speech he gave at the fourth edition of the Saudi Green Initiative Forum under the slogan "By Nature We Take the Initiative", coinciding with the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16), hosted by the capital, Riyadh.
He expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom for the generous invitation and distinguished organization of this event, which reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to addressing global environmental challenges.
The President said that the Kingdom’s hosting and organizing this event reflects a strong symbolism of its commitment to sustainable development. As a major energy-producing country located in a desert region, the Kingdom is leading exceptional efforts to combat desertification and drought by launching tangible programs for reforestation and land restoration, in addition to transforming the energy sector and implementing ambitious initiatives such as green hydrogen.
He pointed out that the Kingdom has launched several initiatives within the framework of the Saudi Green Initiative, supported by funding amounting to 700 billion Saudi riyals, expressing his admiration for the ambitious goals it has set to achieve climate neutrality by 2060, and commended the regional efforts led by the Kingdom within the framework of the Middle East Green Initiative, stressing the importance of joint solutions to environmental challenges that transcend land and sea borders.
He called for benefiting from the Kingdom’s expertise in the fields of reforestation and land restoration, pointing to the possibility of cooperation with African member states in the “Great Green Wall” initiative, with the support of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought, as Africa faces major challenges in this field, as 65% of agricultural land on the continent suffers from degradation.
President Macky Sall stressed the importance of supporting small and diversified agricultural projects that contribute to protecting and restoring biodiversity, especially in rural areas, stressing the need to strengthen partnerships with international initiatives and organizations such as the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA), to exchange best practices in innovation and sustainable financing.
He called for adequate funding for the Africa Adaptation Accelerator Programme (AAAP), a joint initiative between the African Development Bank and the Global Centre for Adaptation, which aims to finance US$25 billion over five years to support climate adaptation projects on the continent.
He pointed to the need to enhance understanding of carbon credit markets and their mechanisms, to make them more transparent and suitable for developing countries, especially in Africa, citing the launch of the African Carbon Market Initiative (ACMI) during the United Nations Climate Change Conference “COP 27”.
At the end of his speech, the President renewed his thanks to the Kingdom for its strong commitment to sustainable development, praising its ambitious initiatives that represent a model to be emulated at the regional and international levels.
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