Saudi FM receives G20 baton from Japan as Kingdom prepares to host 2020 summit
November 23, 2019, 11:09 am

Saudi FM receives G20 baton from Japan as Kingdom prepares to host 2020 summit

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan is officially handed over the Group of 20 baton from Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. (Twitter)

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan was officially handed over the Group of 20 batons from Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at a ceremony on Saturday in Nagoya, signaling the Kingdom’s G20 presidency of the 2020 summit, which is to be hosted Riyadh.

Prince Faisal arrived in Japan on Friday, where he met with the foreign ministers of the Group of 20 and discussed free trade, sustainable development and how to assist rapidly growing economies in Africa.

The two-day event is the last of the eight ministerial G20 meetings to be chaired by Japan this year.

“Under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, I was honored today to take over the Kingdom’s presidency of the Group of 20 for 2020. It will be a year full of hope and work, and a year filled with communication and dialogue, where people will be at the heart of sustainable development and the primary beneficiary of today’s technology. Welcome to Saudi Arabia,” Prince Faisal wrote on his official Twitter account.

King Salman has hailed the Kingdom’s G20 presidency as proof of its key role in the global economy.

Japan - which headed the G20 this year - was the Kingdom’s second-largest export market last year, at $33 billion, according to IMF trade data.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told Prince Faisal he was pleased to meet him for the first time and both sides wanted to boost relations, according to a read-out from Japan’s foreign ministry.

Motegi praised Saudi work to stabilize southern Yemen, where Riyadh spearheaded a deal to end a power struggle between Yemen’s government.

Diplomats said that Saudi Arabia plans more than a dozen G20 summits throughout the year on tourism, agriculture, energy, environment, and the digital economy.

The two-day summit in Riyadh will be held on Nov. 21-22, 2020, in what will be the first G20 meeting to be hosted in the Arab world.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.