JEDDAH — Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman appreciated the great efforts exerted to make this year's Hajj season a great success. Chairing the Cabinet session in Jeddah on Tuesday, the Crown Prince lauded the outstanding works undertaken to make the annual pilgrimage of Hajj easier for the pilgrims as well as to enable them to perform and complete their rituals with comfort and tranquility. He prayed to God to accept Hajj from the pilgrims, and good deeds from all Muslims. At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince praised God for the honor bestowed on the Kingdom in serving the House of God and the Mosque of His Prophet (peace be upon him) as well as for His grace for the successful organization of the Hajj and Umrah seasons, and harnessing the highest capabilities and means to provide the finest services to the guests of God. The Council of Ministers then reviewed the contents of the talks and communications that took place during the past days between the Kingdom and various friendly countries aimed to consolidate bilateral relations and develop aspects of cooperation in various fields in a way serving common interests and mutual benefits. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Education and Acting Minister of Media Yousef Al-Benyan said that the Council reviewed the results of the Kingdom's participation in a number of regional and international gatherings, within the framework of its interest in supporting the multilateral approach and collective efforts aimed at ending the crises in the region and the world, achieving international security and stability, and providing conditions that support development and prosperity. The Cabinet highlighted the tireless efforts made by the Kingdom, in cooperation with its brothers at the political and humanitarian levels, in order to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, and the initiatives at the international level to support the efforts aimed at recognizing the State of Palestine by more countries around the world, in addition to continuing to provide relief aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip. The Council highlighted the launch of the Geographic Survey Project for Renewable Energy Sites in Saudi Arabia. The project is considered as the first of its kind in the world, and reflects the commitment to achieving ambitious national targets in the production of renewable energy. It will also contribute to reaching the optimal energy mix for generating electricity and displacing liquid fuels, and supporting the Kingdom's trend towards exporting electrical energy and producing clean hydrogen. Minister Al-Benyan stated that the Council of Ministers confirmed that the awarding of contracts for the second phase of the Jafurah field development program, and the Kingdom's third phase of the main gas network expansion project comes in the context of continuing development and economic diversification efforts, exploiting the comparative advantages that the Kingdom enjoys, and strengthening its leadership position in global energy markets. The Cabinet appreciated the new discoveries of oil and natural gas fields by Saudi Aramco in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter, praising God Almighty for the goodness He has bestowed upon the Kingdom. The Council of Ministers praised the achievements of the programs for developing human capabilities and developing national industries and logistics services. These achievements and successes will be an important contributor to enhancing citizens' competitiveness globally, and supporting the Kingdom's position as a leading industrial power and a global logistics platform. The Cabinet also highlighted the results contained in the Competitiveness Yearbook Report for the year 2024, regarding the Kingdom's advancement to the 16th rank among the most competitive countries in the world, and its achievement of the first positions in a number of sub-indices, reinforced by the improved business legislation and infrastructure, a thriving economy, and a society that interacts with the world. The Council termed obtaining full membership for the Education and Training Evaluation Commission in the Seoul Accord, in terms of computer and information technology programs in university education, as the first Arab accrediting body in the Middle East. The Seoul Accord serves as an international benchmark for academic accreditation and recognition of computer and information technology degrees in university education. "This membership is an affirmation of the excellence of the Saudi model in the quality of university education internationally, and a reflection of the state's great interest in this sector and its development," the Cabinet observed. The Cabinet took a number of decisions and granted approvals. These included approval for the Saudi Tourism Authority to become an associate member of the World Tourism Organization and approval of a cooperation agreement between Saudi Arabia and the African Organization for Standardization in the field of clean fuel solutions for food provision. The Cabinet also approved the new Social Insurance Law for the newly hired employees and that the provisions of the Civil Retirement and Social Insurance Laws would continue to apply to current subscribers, with the exception of the provisions related to the statutory retirement age and the qualifying period for pension entitlement for some categories. The Council accorded approval to extend the duration of the National Program for Community Development in various regions to seven years. It also approved the draft document for the privatization of 14 sports clubs, and granted the authority to the Supervisory Committee for Privatization in the Sports Sector to issue approvals for the privatization of sports clubs in the professional, first, second, third, and fourth grades
