Saudi Green Initiative Forum kickoff in Riyadh

Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Municipal Rural Affairs and Housing, Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al Hogail, the Saudi Green Building Forum will kick off tomorrow at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh in its 13th edition under the theme "Localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" The forum aims to shed light on energy, water, green cities, partnerships, and technology.

The new edition of the forum discusses several current challenges related to climate change, high temperatures, and environmental pollution in cities, and explores the opportunities for leveraging the concept of green buildings. It brings together policymakers, practitioners, businesses, and industries from the public and private sectors in the Middle East and various countries to discuss aspects of sustainable development and measure the progress made in reducing global temperature.

The forum aims to highlight the efforts of public and private sector institutions in the field of green buildings, in conjunction with the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week (MENACW), and in preparation for participation in the Blue Zone Exhibition at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November.

In turn, the Forum Secretary, Engineer Faisal Alfadl, affirmed that the Saudi Green Building Forum represents a global platform for discussing the most important issues and challenges related to urban pollution and rising temperatures, and promoting the utilization of green building applications. He pointed out that the building sector accounts for more than 20% of final energy consumption and provides significant business and economic opportunities.

He added, "The forum provides an opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the field of green buildings, which experts and participating officials will discuss to highlight their efforts in addressing climate change and environmental pollution through green city projects and innovations. The winners of the forum's excellence awards will also be announced."

It is worth mentioning that the Saudi Green Building Forum is a non-profit organization accredited as a "climate observer" by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Interested individuals can access the Forum's agenda through the link www.sgbf.sa.