Council of Ministers approves the transformation of the Saudi Space Commission into an agency with the name Saudi Space Agency

The Saudi Space Commission's conversion into the Saudi Space Agency has been accepted by the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom. The decision was made on Tuesday during the weekly Cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and held at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah.

The Crown Prince recently conducted discussions with the leaders of the Russian Federation and India, during which the potential for advancing bilateral ties and collaboration in a number of areas were discussed. The Cabinet was given an update on these discussions. The Cabinet also discussed recent regional and international gatherings that the Kingdom sponsored as part of the Saudi leadership's crucial role in encouraging initiatives that aid in the consolidation of world peace and security, as well as growth, progress, and prosperity for all nations.

In this regard, the Cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the Global Coalition against Daesh ministerial meeting held in Riyadh, including the mechanisms and procedures intended to improve cooperation and coordination in this regard, as well as Saudi Arabia's presidency of the Africa Focus Group and the creation of a new focus group to combat Daesh in the Khorasan Province of Afghanistan.

Salman Al-Dosari, the minister of media, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) that the Cabinet also discussed the results of the GCC-US ministerial meeting held in Riyadh, focusing on aspects of strategic partnerships between the two sides with the aim of promoting peace, security, stability, and economic prosperity in the Middle East.

The Cabinet reiterated the Kingdom's desire to address the most urgent global challenges, such as food security, supply chains, climate change, and sustainable development, that were expressed at the second ministerial meeting of members of the League of Arab States and Pacific Small Island Developing States.

The Cabinet also praised the 10th Arab-China Business Conference's record-breaking attendance, which was held in the Kingdom. The event, which saw the signing of deals in numerous disciplines totaling more than $10 billion, attracted more than 3,500 people from 26 different countries. The agreements seek to deepen and broaden economic, commercial, and investment ties between the two parties in order to promote further growth, advancement, and prosperity.

The minister stated that in response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the region, the Cabinet expressed the Kingdom's strong desire for broad participation by donor countries in the upcoming conference, scheduled for June 19. The minister added that the conference's goal is to jointly lessen the effects of the crisis.

The Cabinet underlined the Kingdom's continuous initiatives to promote discussion and agreement among the opposing groups, with the ultimate objective of resolving the situation via political discourse.

Locally, the Cabinet emphasised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) statement that was released at the conclusion of the fourth quarter of 2022 and praised the remarkable successes of the Saudi economy as a result of the continued pace of development of the non-oil sector, palpable recovery of the investment area, and continued implementation of economic reforms aimed at achieving comprehensive and sustainable growth.

The Cabinet highlighted the Kingdom's leadership position and advancement in a number of economic sectors in 2022, most notably the fact that it had the fastest-growing economy among G20 nations, the decline in unemployment rates to historic lows, the high participation rate of women in the labour force, as well as the improvement of indicators related to digitization, the regulatory environment, and the business environment.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Donor Advisory Group membership for Saudi Arabia and the Civil Transactions System were both accepted at the conference.