Saudi Arabia presents new WEF initiatives to advance manufacturing and land restoration

The UNCCD COP16 Presidency launched the Business4Land (B4L) Champions' Council to bring business and policy leaders together on land restoration, and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, with the WEF, announced the Lighthouse Operating System to accelerate manufacturing transformation.

Saudi Arabia and international partners announced initiatives linked to WEF discussions that address land restoration and industrial transformation. The UNCCD COP16 Presidency introduced a new coalition aimed at bringing private-sector and policy actors together around degraded land and drought resilience. The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and its Advanced Manufacturing and Production Centre, unveiled a country-level manufacturing framework. Both items were described as efforts to combine public and private roles in environmental and economic initiatives. Key points: - The UNCCD COP16 Presidency launched the Business4Land (B4L) Champions' Council. - The B4L Champions' Council brings together CEOs, sustainability leaders, investors, and policymakers to accelerate land restoration, combat land degradation, and strengthen drought resilience. - The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, announced the Lighthouse Operating System. - The Lighthouse Operating System was developed with WEF's Advanced Manufacturing and Production Centre (AMPC) and is described as a country-level framework to accelerate manufacturing transformation, diversify the economy, and build non-oil industries. Summary: These announcements seek to mobilize business, policy and industrial actors toward land restoration and manufacturing diversification. Undetermined at this time.