Saudi Arabia Concludes Its Participation At WEF AM25

(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Davos, Switzerland. January 2025 – A high-level delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has concluded its participation in the 55^th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, culminating in an announcement that the Kingdom will host a regular high-level World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Meeting in Riyadh starting in Spring 2026.

The major announcement wrapped-up Saudi Arabia's participation at the Annual Meeting, where a high-level delegation connected and collaborated with the international community to shape a prosperous future and deliver a clear message of hope and optimism for the region's future. Led by His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the delegation fostered and engaged in impactful dialogues, and launched a series of initiatives to address global challenges and capture the opportunities of a world on the cusp of a new era.

Throughout the Annual Meeting, held from 20-24 January, the Saudi delegation emphasized the importance of doubling-down on global collaboration to bring more cohesion and unity to a fragmented world, as well as the need to rewrite the global economic playbook, steer sustainable transitions and drive disruptive innovation to unlock human potential. Delegates participated in public and private panel sessions, numerous bilateral meetings, and conducted interviews with local, regional, and global media from Davos.

Alongside His Highness the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the delegation included His Excellency Dr. Majid A. Alkassabi, Minister of Commerce, His Excellency Ahmed A. Alkhateeb, Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Adel A. Aljubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Member of the Council of Ministers, and Envoy for Climate Affairs, His Excellency Khalid A. Alfalih, Minister of Investment, His Excellency Mohammed A. Aljadaan, Minister of Finance, His Excellency Abdullah A. Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, His Excellency Bandar I. Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, and His Excellency Faisal F. Alibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning.

Some of the standout sessions that the delegates participated in, included: The Global Economic Outlook, The Future of Growth; Diplomacy Amid Disorder; Immersive Dialogue on Innovation Ecosystems; Emerging Economies amid Shocks; Safeguarding Nature, Securing People; The Way We Will Travel; State of Play: AI Governance; Learning from Services; Long View on MENA's Growth; Saudi Arabia's Economic Shifts; and Next-Gen Industrial Infrastructure.

The Ministry of Economy and Planning also hosted the first-ever Saudi House pavilion at the WEF AM, with the participation of a number of government entities including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Investment, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, General Authority for Civil Aviation, Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Tourism Authority, Research Development and Innovation Authority, Diriyah Company, and the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Saudi Arabia. Saudi House is a global platform that hosted a number of sessions with the participation of the Kingdom's delegation, in addition to representatives of government entities and the local and global private sector, to discuss the latest themes affecting social and economic transformation locally and globally, and offer solutions to various global challenges.

Across the week, the Saudi House pavilion attracted more than 5,000 visits. Visitors to the pavilion were introduced to the Kingdom's unprecedented social, economic and human transformation, as well as the high-impact investment opportunities that continue to emerge under Saudi Vision 2030.

Announcements and agreements:

WEF released a briefing paper with insights from HE Alkhateeb, on sustainable and inclusive growth in travel and tourism. The Ministry of Tourism also published an Investor White Paper on initiatives transforming the Kingdom's tourism sector under Vision 2030.

The Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) signed an agreement to establish a new Centre for Cyber Economics (CCE) in Riyadh, aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding of the economic dimensions of Cybersecurity including impact, challenges and opportunities emerging in the rapidly evolving cyber landscape. The agreement was signed at the WEF Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos.

The CCE will focus on the economic dimension of cybersecurity, driving research, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and developing robust, evidence-based frameworks to enhance global cyber resilience, economic stability, and prosperity.

The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY) announced that Jubail Industrial City is the first in the region to join WEF's initiative to decarbonize industrial clusters, launched in collaboration with Accenture and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

The Research, Development, and Innovation Authority published a special report on the“Saudi Arabia's Markets of Tomorrow Accelerator”. An initiative launched in collaboration with WEF's Accelerator Network. The report highlights the initiative's efforts to drive economic transformation through innovative, entrepreneurship-focused solutions, while outlining its vision for fostering the growth of key emerging markets in the Kingdom. It also explores how the initiative is tackling challenges and accelerating development to align with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

At a Saudi House session, Salesforce announced a new regional headquarters in Riyadh and pledged to upskill 30,000 Saudi citizens by 2030. The firm also partnered with IBM to open an AI Innovation Center in the Kingdom.

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