Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, has underlined the Kingdom's pioneering role in ecosystem protection restored through the strategic environmental initiatives it has launched – paramount of which is the "Saudi Green Initiative", which has been launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. Al-Fadhli's remarks came during the ministry's celebration of the World Environment Day 2021, held on Saturday under the title "#GenerationRestoration", in which he underlined the need for more intensified national and international efforts to achieve ecological sustainability through partnerships and joint environmental protection ventures. He also said that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has been implementing a set of projects and initiatives to protect the Kingdom's environment sector in line with the Kingdom Vision 2030 and the World Environment Day's objectives which seek to promote worldwide awareness and action for the environment. The minister added that the sector has achieved a number of achievements, including the drafting and endorsement of the National Environment Strategy and the new Environmental Bylaw and the launching of global environment initiatives during the G20 summit. Among the major environmental initiatives of the ministry, Al-Fadhli also listed the nationwide Environment Week and the establishment of the five specialized centers to ensure the implementation quality ecosystem sustainability and provide the necessary capabilities for the environment sector's advancement: the National Center for Meteorology, the National Center for Vegetation Cover, the National Center for Environmental Compliance, the National Center for Wildlife and the National Center for Waste Management. The minister also underlined the significance of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 in preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems, explaining that Saudi Arabia is moving ahead with a number of projects and initiatives aiming at restoring its ecosystems, including primarily the " Green Saudi and Green Middle East initiatives". On the leading Saudi ecosystem and protection roles, the minister also cited the "Global Coral Reef Research and Development Accelerator Platform" and the Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats" initiatives the Kingdom has launched during its presidency of the G20 Summit.
