By: Arab news

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan met in Riyadh to discuss enhancing cooperation on environmental and climate action, with a focus on aligning Pakistan's projects with major Saudi initiatives. Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir met with Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, Musadik Masood Malik, to review collaborative avenues.

The discussions centered on Saudi Arabia's Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. Pakistan is seeking Saudi support for specific projects, including desert reclamation, afforestation, and carbon-offset initiatives, as it faces intensifying climate risks. Pakistan's forest cover is approximately 4.8% of its land area, and it is focusing efforts on combating desertification.

Both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2022 covering nine environmental areas, from biodiversity to air-quality monitoring. The latest talks aimed to advance that framework, with Saudi Arabia positioned as a leader in global climate diplomacy and Pakistan as one of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations.