Saudi Arabia working hard to reverse land degradation and desertification, says official
Kingdom’s representative to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says nation has ‘taken up the challenge’ and calls on others to do the same
Riyadh will host the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP 16 summit in Riyadh in December this year
Updated 25 July 2024
Arab News
ROME: Saudi Arabia is working hard to reverse land degradation, and calls on the international community to commit to the battle against desertification, an official from the Kingdom said on Thursday during an event at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome.
Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, the country’s permanent representative to the FAO, said the Kingdom is committed to the restoration of land through its Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives, one of the aims of which is to rehabilitate 200 million hectares. Riyadh will also host the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP 16 summit in Riyadh from Dec. 2 to 13 this year.
“Saudi Arabia has taken up the challenge of avoiding, restoring and reversing the process of land degradation,” Al-Ghamdi said in Rome as he urged global participation at COP 16.
Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, the country’s permanent representative to the FAO, said the Kingdom is committed to the restoration of land through its Saudi Green and Middle East Green initiatives. (AN Photo)
As the world grapples with increasing degradation of land and the effects this has on food security and climate change, he said the summit in Riyadh offers a critical opportunity for nations to commit to collaborative action and ambitious restoration targets.
Warning of already alarming global levels of land degradation, Zhimin Wu, director of the FAO’s Forestry Division, said a third of agricultural land has already been degraded by human activities.
Raja Omar, an adviser at the National Center for Vegetation Cover in Saudi Arabia, outlined the Kingdom’s comprehensive approach to the restoration of diverse landscapes, from rangelands to mangroves, and stressed the importance of ensuring such efforts are sustainable in the long term.
Integration of AI with 'internet of things’ devices enables real-time monitoring and smart threat detection for better security
Tech firm Smart Citizens’ expansion aligns with Kingdom’s Vision 2030, elevating living standards through innovative technology
Updated 18 sec ago
Ghadi Joudah
RIYADH: As part of Saudi Arabia’s push to establish itself as a leader in the data-driven, AI-powered economy, the Kingdom is harnessing the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to revolutionize homes.
AI and machine-learning technologies are making houses and apartment smarter, more efficient and easier to live in. They are also making them safer.
Real-time monitoring of security video, identifying threats, automated alerts to residents and integration with other smart home devices will completely change how homeowners protect their properties.
Industry leaders such as the tech firm Smart Citizens are expanding into Saudi Arabia following their success elsewhere.
The UAE-based firm says that it delivers innovative, cutting-edge solutions, particularly in smart-home automation.
“Smart Citizens believes AI will drive the most compelling advancements in home security and safety in Saudi Arabia,” Ashraf Nouri, Smart Citizens CEO, told Arab News.
He explained that the integration of AI with a network of devices that could connect and exchange data (known as the “Internet of things”), enhanced home security by enabling real-time monitoring and smart threat detection.
Smart Citizens’ expansion strategy, Nouri said, was crafted to “be in tune with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which wants living standards to match modern concepts and foster innovation in technology.”
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AI is projected to contribute more than $135 billion to Saudi Arabia’s economy by 2030, making up 12.4 percent of the Kingdom’s gross domestic product, according to accounting firm PwC.
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority was set up in 2019 to help drive the Kingdom’s AI capabilities and make it a global leader in data-driven economies.
Saudi Arabia is also ramping up AI investment, looking to cement its position as one of the world’s main investors in the technology.
The embrace of home AI technology fits with the Kingdom’s mission to become a leader in smart city development. A key example is NEOM, the futuristic mega-city project that integrates advanced technologies and smart home solutions to foster connectivity and sustainability.
Elaborating on how AI is reshaping residential security in the Middle East, Nouri said that his company had developed a comprehensive AI-enabled security ecosystem.
The system, he said, offered a “new generation of smart home security.”
These solutions have already shown results with a 40 percent decrease in false alarms. (Supplied)
This included AI-driven intrusion detection, voice-activated security controls and predictive maintenance.
Nouri said: “We involve our AI technologies in the following domains: Computer vision for video surveillance and object detection, natural language processing for voice interaction and analysis, and neural networks for driving predictive analytics on maintenance and anomaly detection.”
As Smart Citizens prepares to enter the Saudi market, Nouri said that the company was committed to teaching its consumers about the new technologies it offered.
“Smart Citizens adopts an integrated approach in consumer education for the adoption of advanced technologies, especially in home security and safety, in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
The company’s strategies, he added, include public awareness campaigns, workshops and seminars, partnerships with educational institutions, and incentive programs to drive engagement and adoption.
These initiatives, Nouri said, aligned with the ambitions of Vision 2030 for digital transformation and the development of smart cities.
Nouri said that Smart Citizens is working to ensure compliance with Saudi standards. (Supplied)
He added: “Through such programs, the company aspires to encourage a technological society that shall be ready for innovations in home security and safety.”
Nouri explained that his company was “implementing an AI-enabled behavioral analytics system that filters the routine household activities from potential threats.” This, he said, enhanced the accuracy of threat detection.
This was achieved through the integration of “Internet of things” devices, which are essential to the system’s overall effectiveness.
Nouri said: “IoT devices are collecting key data from sensors, smart locks and cameras to build the backbone of our system. The processing and analysis of this data in real-time happen through our AI models.”
DID YOUKNOW?
• Smart homes gain popularity as Saudi Arabia advances its AI-powered economy.
• AI-driven behavioral analytics can filter routine activities from potential threats.
• Internet of things devices enhance home security by enabling real-time monitoring.
Emphasizing that Smart Citizens prioritized user experience, he added: “We design interfaces that are easy to navigate, allowing users to control and monitor their smart home systems effortlessly.”
The company’s AI systems were able to learn individual preferences over time, enabling tailored automation that aligned with each homeowner’s lifestyle, he said.
Nouri said that robust measures were in place to address privacy concerns swiftly and effectively.
“We have multiple approaches to address privacy and security at our systems: Encryption protocols, localized data processing and compliance with UK standards, UAE standards,” he said, noting that his company was also working to ensure full compliance with Saudi regulations.
Smart Citizens actively embrace AI-powered technologies in luxury apartments and homes. (Supplied)
In the UAE, people were increasingly embracing AI-powered technologies in luxury apartments and homes, he added, describing homeowners there as “keen adopters of high-tech innovations to enhance their lifestyles and ensure comfort.”
Looking ahead, Nouri is optimistic about AI’s growing role in home security, believing that AI will become increasingly autonomous and seamlessly integrated into daily life.
“Solutions like the smart energy management and lighting solutions provided by Smart Citizens will evolve to provide even more personalized and predictive capabilities,” Nouri said.
Smart homes are also seen as a more sustainable solution to mitigate climate change, and Saudi Arabia is adopting a whole-of-society approach to reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tonnes annually by 2030.
A 2019 study published in Environment International found that household energy consumption accounted for one-third of global carbon emissions, and home automation had the potential to reduce these emissions by 12.78 percent.
Nouri said that emerging home security trends, such as biometric security enhancements and edge computing, which processes data on devices closer to the user, will allow for faster, more private operations.
And the impact of these solutions is measurable, providing “up to a 40 percent reduction in false alarms,” he said.
“These AI-powered solutions provided by us make a residence safer through real-time threat detection, personalized security, and seamlessly integrated automation, ensuring constant protection,” Nouri said.
Ashraf Nouri, Smart Citizens CEO
This new AI technology enhances home security while giving residents greater peace of mind and control over their living spaces.
Smart Citizens is just one example of a company entering the Saudi market with AI powered solutions for people’s daily lives.
Many more will follow, deploying data-driven technology that will transform how we live.
Henan University boosts academic ties with visit to KAU
Delegation met KAU’s Acting Vice President Prof. Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim to discuss strategies for joint initiatives in research, training and education
Visiting delegation commending KAU’s state-of-the-art research and training capabilities
Updated 28 November 2024
JEDDAH: A delegation from Henan University in China visited King Abdulaziz University, or KAU, in Jeddah on Wednesday to explore opportunities for strengthening academic collaboration.
During their visit, the delegation met KAU’s Acting Vice President Prof. Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim, to discuss strategies for joint initiatives in research, training and education.
The Chinese delegation toured several facilities at KAU, including the King Faisal Convention Center, the Central Library and the Sports Village. Their visit also included the Chinese Culture and Science Institute, a bridge for cultural and knowledge exchange between the Kingdom and China.
The visiting delegation expressed their admiration for the academic standards of KAU, commending its state-of-the-art research and training capabilities.
They underscored the importance of the visit in deepening academic collaboration between the two universities and facilitating the exchange of expertise and knowledge across academic and research domains.
Saudi reforms have ‘reinforced unwavering principles of justice, equality,’ says HRC president
Since Vision 2030 launched, Kingdom has ‘witnessed unprecedented openness’: Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri
‘Number of women serving as chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of boards reached 327, and the number of women board members reached 1005,’ delegation says
Updated 28 November 2024
Arab News
GENEVA: Saudi Arabia has implemented sustained reforms that have reinforced its unwavering principles of justice and equality, the president of the Kingdom’s Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday.
Since the launch of Vision 2030, the Kingdom has “witnessed unprecedented openness to diverse races, cultures and religions,” said Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri.
She is heading the Kingdom’s delegation to the 114th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Tuwaijri said: “The Kingdom’s territory is now home to over 13 million residents of more than 60 nationalities, constituting over 40 percent of the population.”
She added that these residents enjoy equal rights and protection from racial discrimination.
The HRC chief highlighted the issuance and amendment of regulations promoting protection from discrimination.
She said that national policy to encourage equal opportunities and treatment in employment and occupation is a key initiative to eliminate labor market discrimination.
Al-Tuwaijri highlighted national policy to prevent child labor. She also pointed to the establishment of labor courts as a qualitative advancement in the realm of labor justice.
The late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman established the Kingdom on the bedrock principles of justice, equality and the rejection of racism and discrimination, she said.
Under the Saudi leadership, a contemporary interpretation of these steadfast principles has led to the development of a comprehensive legislative, institutional and judicial framework to combat racism and racial discrimination, she added.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Saudi delegation to the CERD session said that many regulations and bylaws in the Kingdom have been amended to achieve equality between men and women.
These include the Travel Documents Law, Civil Status Law, Labor Law and Social Insurance Law.
As a result, by the third quarter of 2024, women’s participation in the labor market reached 35.4 percent, with a change rate of 108 percent since 2017, surpassing Vision 2030 targets, the statement said.
“The number of women serving as chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of boards reached 327, and the number of women board members reached 1005. Women held 43.8 percent of mid and senior management positions in the private sector.
“The number of female ambassadors abroad stood at six, with 204 female diplomats and 246 women working in international institutions abroad,” the statement said.
Saudi interior minister, Algerian president hold meeting
Updated 28 November 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday.
During the meeting at the presidential palace in Algiers, they reviewed Saudi-Algerian relations and security cooperation between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Abdulaziz passed on the best wishes of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and expressed hope for Algeria's “continued success and prosperity.”
Scheme will promote the sustainable use of orbital resources and enable the use of modern technologies in space data analysis
Forms part of the commission’s efforts to enhance international partnerships and leverage its expertise in communications, space and technology
Updated 28 November 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The Saudi Communications, Space and Technology Commission has launched an initiative for a research study in space sustainability in collaboration with Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency.
It is the result of a previous agreement between the two parties.
The scheme will promote the sustainable use of orbital resources and enable the use of modern technologies in space data analysis.
It was launched on the platform of the 2024 International Forum on Non-Terrestrial Networks, where Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, governor of the commission, invited the international community to take part and support research on space sustainability for the benefit of future generations.
The scheme is part of the commission’s efforts to enhance international partnerships and leverage its expertise in communications, space and technology.
