JEDDAH — The Council of Ministers' session, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman here on Tuesday, designated March 27 each year as an official day for the Saudi Green Initiative. The Cabinet also approved that the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites will be the supervising body for the Project of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Center for Cosmic Sciences and Crescent Observations, as well as for the Makkah Clock, and the internal and external crescent observatories. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary said that the Cabinet hailed the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of a resolution on "Measures to Combat Islamophobia" and the appointment of a UN Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia. In this regard, the Cabinet reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to international efforts countering extremist ideologies, disrupting their funding, and fostering peace, dialogue, and coexistence for global prosperity. The Cabinet also welcomed the decisions of the international conference, organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) in Makkah under the theme "Building Bridges between Islamic Schools of Thought and Sects." The session thanked the scholars, who came to attend the conference from around the Muslim world, for their appreciation and acknowledgement of the Kingdom's significant efforts in serving Islam and Muslims, taking care for the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, as well as for enhancing Islamic solidarity. At the outset of the session, the Cabinet was briefed on the contents of the message received by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman from the president of Uzbekistan, and the phone call that the Crown Prince had received from the secretary general of the United Nations, which discussed the latest developments, particularly the situation in Gaza. Al-Dosary noted that the Council underscored the Kingdom's continuous support for charitable work in the Kingdom and its emphasis on maximizing its impact on members of society. It further highlighted the achievements of the Fourth National Campaign for Charitable Work in its early days, noting the massive response that reflected the outstanding examples of solidarity and competition among benefactors in acts of goodness, generosity, and giving. The Cabinet hailed a significant economic milestone with regard to contributing non-oil activities 50 percent share of the country's real GDP in 2023, saying that this achievement aligns with the objectives of Vision 2030 to diversify its resources and achieve a thriving economy. "This success signifies the effective implementation of Saudi Vision 2030's programs and major projects to foster new growth engines beyond oil." The Council approved an agreement between the Saudi government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to establish the IMF's regional office in Riyadh. It endorsed a memorandum of scientific and educational cooperation between the Saudi Ministry of Education and the Omani Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation. The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Culture or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Turkish side a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the cultural field between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Council authorized the Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Tourism Authority or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Korean side a draft MoU for cooperation in the field of tourism promotion and marketing between the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Korean Tourism Organization. The Cabinet endorsed a MoU between the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and the Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body for cooperation in ensuring the quality of halal products. A cooperation agreement was also endorsed between the Saudi Presidency of State Security and the Tunisian General Directorate of National Security in the field of combating terrorism crimes and it's financing
