Rabat, March 03, 2022, SPA -- Speaker of the Shura Council, Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh, welcomed the recent UN Security Council resolution designating the Houthi militia as a terrorist group, reiterating the Kingdom’s welcome of this decision, which expanded the ban on the delivery of weapons to Yemen to include all Houthi terrorist affiliates after the arms embargo was previously limited to specific individuals and companies, expressing the Kingdom’s aspiration that this decision would contribute to putting an end to the actions of this terrorist militia and its supporters, and neutralize its threat to the Yemeni people and international peace and security. The Speaker of the Shura Council, who is heading a delegation from the Shura Council, made his statements today during a speech he delivered at the meetings of the 11th Meeting of the Association of Senates, Shura, and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World in Morocco. Dr. Al Al-Sheikh said: "The Kingdom is keen to achieve security and stability in Yemen and to end the human suffering of its people while emphasizing the Kingdom's rejection and condemnation of the attacks launched by the Houthi terrorist militia on civilians and vital facilities in the Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, to destabilize the region’s security and stability,” adding that the Kingdom continues to support all regional and international initiatives and efforts to reach a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Yemen per the three references. During the conference, which was held with the participation of heads of Senates, Shura, and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World, he highlighted the Kingdom’s keenness under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH the Crown Prince, to contribute to advancing the march of development and investing in the African countries, in addition to supporting all international and regional efforts to establish security, stability and conflict resolution in these countries, stressing the great importance the Kingdom attaches to combating terrorist groups and extremism and improving security capabilities by providing financial support worth (100) million euros for efforts to counter terrorism in the African continent. The Speaker also pointed out that HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, during the “SUMMIT ON THE FINANCING OF AFRICAN ECONOMIES, which was held last May in Paris, stressed the vital importance of the future of the continent, especially in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the importance of the rapid and equitable global distribution of vaccines, especially in low-income countries in Africa and the rest of the world, explaining that the Kingdom is one of the countries supporting and donating to this program. The Speaker of the Shura Council stressed the importance of the G20 statement during the Kingdom’s presidency of the extraordinary meeting held in March 2020, in which the leaders pledged to strengthen the health system, build capacity and provide technical assistance to the African countries, especially to the communities most exposed to risks, and the initiatives and financing programs witnessed during the summit, including the initiative of the G20 to suspend debt service payments, as this historic initiative provided urgent liquidity for (73) of the poorest countries, including (38) African states. The Speaker explained that Saudi Arabia, through the Public Investment Fund, provided several projects and activities in various sectors including energy, mining, communications, food, and others, with a total amount of approximately $4 billion, adding that PIF has provided (580) loans and grants to more than 45 African countries, with a value of approximately $13.5 billion. Moreover, the Fund also announced an initiative of (200) million euros to develop the Sahel countries in partnership with the French Development Agency, in addition to future projects, grants, and loans that the Kingdom will implement in the developing countries in Africa. Al-Sheikh, in his address, expressed the Kingdom's concern about the challenges of climate change and its implications in the economic and social field, reiterating the Kingdom's commitment to the climate agreement based on its global position and the importance of its influential role in stabilizing the global economy, citing “The Middle East Green initiative”, which was announced by HRH the Crown Prince with wide international participation, to draw a regional map to preserve and raise the quality of life, and to set a road map to reduce carbon emissions in the region by more than (10%) of global contributions, and plant (50) billion tree in the region as per the largest tree-planting program in the world. --SPA 20:38 LOCAL TIME 17:38 GMT 0026 www.spa.gov.sa/w1700596