The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, chaired the Cabinet's session held today at Irqah Palace in Riyadh. At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his best wishes to citizens and Muslims everywhere on the occasion of Ramadan, expressing hope that this year's holy month of Ramadan will bear hope and peace for Muslims and the entire world. He directed authorities concerned with serving visitors of the Two Holy Mosques to continue to work with the highest efficiency and excellence to ensure that visitors perform their rituals at ease and with tranquility. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet has reviewed the issues discussed at meetings and talks held by the Kingdom's senior officials and their counterparts with a view to taking relations to higher levels in a way that cements the regional and international status and role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Cabinet went over the Kingdom's participation in the 49th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), where the Kingdom affirmed its continued support for joint action, particularly in the humanitarian and development fields, as well as its unwavering stance that promotes coexistence and mutual respect among the peoples of the world. The Cabinet also referred to the Kingdom's pledge during the International Donors' Conference, held in Brussels, to support the people affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and to help the two brotherly peoples to mitigate the impact of the earthquake and restore normalcy. The Cabinet affirmed that such efforts reflect the Kingdom's constant commitment to show solidarity to the affected communities across the world and help them meet their needs. Domestically, the Cabinet stressed that the positive estimates credit rating agencies have of the Kingdom's economy reflect the effectiveness of the reforms undertaken by the state, such as developing the public finance management, improving the quality of financial planning, and making more efficient use of resources under the financial sustainability program. The Minister of Media said that the Kingdom's climbing 15 places in the Global Innovation Index 2022, as shown by the World Intellectual Property Organization, is a reflection of the continued interest and support the state attaches to upgrading the quality of research, development and innovation sector, which enhances the Kingdom's global competitiveness and leadership, in line with the Kingdom Vision 2030. The Cabinet was briefed on a number of issues on its agenda and issued the following decisions: First: Approving a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the cultural field between the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Culture of the United Mexican States. Second: Authorizing the minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance - or his deputy - to discuss and sign with the Somali side a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of Islamic affairs between the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Third: Approving a memorandum of understanding in the field of the digital economy between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China. Fourth: Approving a memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Africa to cooperate in studying the feasibility of establishing a joint investment fund. Fifth: Approving a memorandum of understanding between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Africa to encourage direct investment. Sixth: Approving a cooperation agreement between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of South Africa in the field of maritime transport. Seventh: Authorizing the Minister of Transport and Logistics and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Civil Aviation – or his deputy – to sign a draft agreement for air services between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the Republic of Poland. Eighth: Authorizing the Chairman of the Education and Training Evaluation Commission – or his deputy – to discuss and sign with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization regarding a draft cooperation memorandum of understanding on the evaluation and accreditation of Arab language curricula and programs between the Education and Training Evaluation Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization. Ninth: Approving a memorandum of understanding in the field of combating terrorism, its financing, money laundering, and related offenses (predicate offenses) between the Public Prosecution Office of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Public Prosecution Office of Tajikistan. Tenth: Adding the Human Rights Commission to the membership of the secondment and employment committee of regional and international organizations and bodies. Eleventh: Renewing the membership of Dr. Mohammed bin Said Al-Ghamdi and Dr. Fouad bin Amin Bouqari on the board of directors of the National Centre for Social Studies and Research and appointing Dr. Hamdi bin Hamid Al-Maramhi, Dr. Noura bint Faraj Al-Musaed, and Dr. Fahd bin Ali Al-Ilayyan as members of the board of directors of the center. Twelfth: Approving amendments to the bylaw of protecting personal data, issued under Royal Decree No. (M/19) on Safar 9, 1443 Hijri. The Cabinet also reviewed several issues on its agenda and took the necessary procedures in their regard.
