Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan said the Kingdom had contributed significantly to the efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on Islamic countries.
Addressing the annual meetings of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), he spoke of the “exceptional circumstances” the pandemic has presented during the meetings that are being held in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, from September 3-4.
The minister, who is also the IsDB governor, called for cooperation and collaboration among countries in the Islamic world to confront the economic and developmental challenges caused by the pandemic, urging member states to procure more vaccines and speed up the vaccination process.
Al-Jadaan also said the developed digital infrastructure in the Kingdom assisted the businesses and education sectors despite limitations imposed by pandemic health measures. He said the IsDB’s main objective is boosting economic and social development in Islamic countries.
Saudi Arabia significantly contributed to combating the pandemic, driven by its keenness on humanitarian and development activities for Islamic peoples and countries, he stressed.
The Kingdom will continue to support IsDB to maintain its services for Islamic peoples, he confirmed.
The Islamic world is witnessing extraordinary circumstances due to the pandemic fallout. It needs more cooperation to confront the challenges, as well as the economic and development fluctuations suffered by Islamic countries, he remarked.
Al-Jadaan stressed the importance of enhancing integration between the IsDB group institutions and integrating strategies to realize the group’s objectives of strengthening economic and social development in Islamic countries.
He spoke of efforts, such as the Green Saudi Initiative and the Green Middle East, in confronting environmental challenges. Al-Jadaan called on the IsDB to enhance the use of the circular carbon economy concept, which the G20 group endorsed during the Kingdom’s presidency of the group in 2020.
