RIYADH: Fahd Al-Mubarak, minister of state and a member of the Saudi Council of Ministers, told an audience at the Saudi Media Forum that the media is central to information and plays a vital role in informing society about what happens in the world. During a discussion on media opportunities for Saudi Arabia during a session on the G20 Summit, Al-Mubarak said: “We believe in the role of media all over the world, we get information from media and depend on it for solutions to issues. “People know about Saudi Arabia hosting the summit because of the media providing news updates.” Al-Mubarak, who has been secretary-general of the G20 Saudi Secretariat since 2017 and the Kingdom’s G20 sherpa since 2018, said: “We believe in three Cs: Coordinate, cooperate and communicate. Communication is the most important one,” adding that the media plays a vital role in informing society about what happens around us. He said that the G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation and gathers the leaders of the largest economies of the world to discuss financial and social issues. In the run-up to the summit, the presidency will host several meetings featuring ministers, senior government officials and civil society representatives. The minister said Saudi Arabia has been a member of the G20 since its founding in 1999. He added that the organization is crucial for the discussion of policy pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability and that the Saudi Vision 2030 reform plans work in the same direction. “Vision 2030 is an important reform plan and we are undergoing a transformation in alignment with G20 goals,” he said. Saudi Arabia on Sunday became the first Arab country to assume the G20 presidency, taking over from Japan. “Saudi Arabia taking over the G20 presidency from Japan is a very important development,” Al-Mubarak added. The presidency will see the Kingdom host world leaders for a global summit in Riyadh between Nov. 21-22, 2020. The Saudi presidency will focus on three aims: Empowering people through improving working conditions, safeguarding the planet by fostering collective efforts on food and water security, climate, energy and the environment, and long-term strategies to share the benefits of innovation and technological advancement. The session was moderated by Talat Zaki Hafiz, secretary-general of Saudi banks’ media and banking awareness committee. Earlier, Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, president of the Saudi Media Forum and Awards, sent a powerful message at the beginning of the session about the value of the media: “We believe in the freedom of journalism and its role.”