11 countries pledge to plant 50 billion trees

Eleven countries joined the Middle East Green Initiative (MEGI) during the first meeting of the MEGI Ministerial Council in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

The MEGI Council of Ministers meeting took place on October 16 with the participation of representatives from 29 countries and international organizations. (Source: SPA)

MEGI, led by Saudi Arabia, aims to address environmental challenges across the region and contribute to global climate goals.

Among the new members joining MEGI are Algeria, Chad, Kenya, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Gambia, Nigeria, Guinea and the Central African Republic. In addition to the new members from the Middle East, the UK is also joining as an observer from outside the region.

In the statement, the MEGI Ministerial Council stressed the important role of new members in achieving MEGI's ambitious goals, and encouraged more countries within and outside the region to join the initiative, as well as highlighted the importance of financial and technical support to meet regional and global environmental goals.

Speaking at the opening session of the MEGI Council of Ministers, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Environment, Water Resources and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley called for enhanced regional cooperation to protect the environment, enhance food and water security, as well as protect biodiversity and conserve ecosystems.

Mr. Al-Fadley noted that the initiative is an important step towards improving regional governance capacity in dealing with challenges such as desertification, drought and climate change.

MEGI’s main goal is to plant 50 billion trees across the Middle East, restoring 200 million hectares of degraded land. Saudi Arabia will plant 10 billion trees within its borders, while the remaining 40 billion will be planted across the region over the coming decades.

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