RIYADH — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf praised the “Saudi Green” and the “Middle East Green” initiatives announced by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense, stressing that they will chart the direction of the Kingdom and the region in protecting the nature, and facing environmental challenges. He affirmed that these initiatives will contribute significantly to preserving vegetation cover, reducing carbon emissions, combating pollution and land degradation, and preserving marine life, through a number of steps such as planting 10 billion trees within Saudi Arabia during the coming decades. The initiatives will go toward rehabilitating about 40 million hectares of land, increasing the area covered with trees, and raising the percentage of protected areas to more than 30% of the Kingdom"s land area, exceeding the current global target of protecting 17% of each country"s land. It will also contribute to reducing carbon emissions, through renewable energy projects that will provide 50% of electricity production in the Kingdom by 2030. Al-Hajraf praised the Kingdom"s pioneering role in the region, as Crown Prince indicated that the Kingdom will start work on Middle East Green Initiative in partnership with the member states of the GCC and Middle Eastern countries to plant an additional 40 billion trees in the region. This action will thus restore an area equivalent to 200 million hectares of land, and it achieves a reduction of 2.5% from global carbon levels. Arab League lauds Green Initiatives The Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Ghiet too praised the two initiatives announced by Crown Prince Muhammad to protect land and environment. Aboul Ghiet stressed that this approach reflects awareness of environmental degradation issues and commitment to the sustainable development goals. In a statement issued Sunday, he pointed out that the initiatives show Saudi Arabia"s keenness to play a pioneering role in addressing international issues, and a continuation of its efforts during its presidency of the G20 last year. Aboul Gheit added that the environmental issues addressed by the recent Saudi initiative, such as raising vegetation, reducing carbon emissions, combating pollution and land degradation, are all important priorities on the global agenda in the next phase. OIC chief acclaims KSA’s pioneering role The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Dr. Yousef Bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen praised the “Saudi Green” and the “Middle East Green” initiatives announced by Crown Prince Muhammad, which demonstrate the pioneering role of Saudi Arabia and the assumption of responsibility towards protecting the nature and improving the efficiency of living in this part of the world. He said that the Kingdom will lead the initiative in a green environment free from pollution, and that the two initiatives come to meet the environmental and economic challenges facing the region, foremost among which is desertification, air pollution from greenhouse gases, and an attempt to preserve marine life. Al-Othaimeen valued the partnerships announced by the Crown Prince with the member states of GCC and Middle Eastern states, which aim to plant 40 billion trees. Arab Parliament extols “Green Initiatives” Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament President Adel Bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoumi has commended “Saudi Green” and “Middle East Green” initiatives announced by Crown Prince Muhammad to protect land and environment and improve the quality of life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region. In a statement issued Monday, the Arab Parliament President praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"s efforts and its keenness to protect the environment and interact with international issues, stressing the importance of the two initiatives and their contribution to maintaining the environmental balance through the largest reforestation program in the world, in light of economic and social challenges associated with the environmental situation in the region and the world. He also expressed appreciation for the two initiatives that reflect the awareness of Saudi Arabia and come as a continuation of the priority in the 2030 strategy, which aims to reduce global carbon rates, enhance the efficiency of oil production, increase the contribution of renewable energy, preserve the marine and coastal environment and increase natural reserves. — SPA