Category: General

Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, signed a four-year global partnership with professional football association FIFA, according to an Aramco news release.

According to the statement, carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the company becomes FIFA’s major worldwide partner exclusive in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events including the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 26S and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027S.

The agreement, which runs until the end of 2027, builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s unique global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement. Through the partnership, Aramco and FIFA intend to leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.

‘Through this partnership with FIFA, we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe,’ said Aramco Presi
dent and CEO Amin H. Nasser. ‘It reflects our ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends our backing of sport as a platform for growth. Our existing relationship with the Saudi football team Al-Qadsiah, our support for women’s golf through the Aramco Team Series, and our backing of F1 in schools each demonstrate the possibilities of such partnerships to create pathways for opportunity, positively impact society, and promote development at the grassroots level.’

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Aramco to FIFA’s family of global partners. This partnership will assist FIFA to successfully deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enable us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe. Aramco has a strong track record of supporting world-class events, but also a focus on developing grassroots sport initiatives. We look forward to collaborating with them on a variet
y of initiatives over the coming years.’

Aramco also intends to work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy the company’s expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally. This includes initiatives that aim to provide new and innovative ways for football fans to engage with FIFA’s events.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

In execution of the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the Social Works of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), chaired, Friday at the FAR General Staff headquarters, the Board of the FAR Social Works.

Upon her arrival at the General Staff, Her Royal Highness was greeted by Lieutenant General, Inspector General of the FAR, Commander of the South Zone and President Delegate of the Board of the FAR Social Works, before reviewing a detachment of the FAR Headquarters Battalion. Her Royal Highness was then greeted by the members of the Board of the FAR Social Works, said the FAR General Staff in a statement.

The meeting was attended by the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of National Defense Administration, Lieutenant General Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the South Zone, Lieutenant General Commander of the Royal Gendarmerie, and members of the
Board of the FAR Social Works.

During the meeting, the Colonel-Major, Head of the General Directorate of Social Services, reported on the various services provided over the past year to beneficiaries of the FAR Social Works, including support actions for peacekeeping operations, pilgrimage and participation in the Marhaba operation to welcome Moroccans living abroad.

The action plan also covered medical and social services to back people with disabilities and parents of autistic children, as well as solidarity and relief measures taken to support victims of the Al Haouz earthquake.

At the end of the meeting, the Board examined the moral and financial report, as well as the 2024-2026 action plan, before approving the budget required for its implementation.

The regular holding of Board meetings, under the effective chairmanship of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, illustrates the High Solicitude with which His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, surrounds FAR members and their families.

Source: Agence Marocain
e De Presse

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has sent a cable of congratulations to President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the United Republic of Tanzania on the anniversary of her country’s Union Day.

HRH the Crown Prince wished the president constant good health and happiness and the government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania steady progress and prosperity.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The 48th Saudi relief airplane, operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, arrived today at Al-Arish International Airport in Egypt, carrying shelter items to be transported to the Palestinian people in Gaza Strip.

The assistance is in keeping with Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian role in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people in times of crisis.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday called for additional air defense systems to be sent to Kyiv to help protect against Russian strikes, adding that a pause in U.S. funding had helped Moscow seize the initiative.

“This year, Russian jets have already used more than 9,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine and we need the ability to shoot down the air combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders,” Zelenskiy said at the start of a virtual meeting led by the United States on helping arm Ukraine.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Morocco’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Omar Hilale, in his capacity as co-facilitator of the UN process relating to the World Social Summit, carried out a working visit to Geneva with his Belgian counterpart, Philippe Kridelka, from April 22 to 24. This visit is part of the effort aimed at preparing the modalities of the Summit slated for 2025.

During this trip, Hilale held meetings with the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), Volker Turk and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi.

He also met with the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, and the Director-General of the International Labor Organization (ILO), Gilbert Houngbo.

During these high-level meetings, the ambassador had a fruitful exchange with the leaders of these international organizations whose contribution will be key to the success of the next social summit.

Ranging from the role of multilateral trade in accelerating social development, to the centrality of the public health sector and medical coverage in consolidating cohesion and the well-being of populations, Hilale insisted on the need to strengthen these two sectors with a social vision focused on the human component of social development. He highlighted the key role of the WHO and the WTO in this sense under the leadership of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The exchange with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, for its part, focused on the centrality of human rights for the achievement of social development. In this regard, the Moroccan ambassador underscored the need to change the narrative with regard to this issue and to mend the trend of international tension around issues related t
o human rights.

Regarding the meetings with the heads of the UNHCR and the IOM, they focused on issues relating to the social development of refugees and migrants, mainly the challenges linked to their integration and inclusion in host communities.

To this end, Hilale underlined the opportunity that the World Social Summit gives the international community to put forward the political recommendations necessary to improve the conditions of refugees and migrants throughout the world, as well as to highlight the importance of migration as an opportunity for sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.

During the meeting with the ITU Secretary-General, the focus was on the access to new technologies for developing countries and the new economic and social reality marked by the rise of artificial intelligence. The emphasis was also put on the challenge that should be taken up by Member States and which consists of putting artificial intelligence and new technologies at the servi
ce of social development by ensuring sustainable and inclusive access to developing countries.

Hilale and his Belgian counterpart in New York also had a working session with more than 20 experts and directors of technical departments related to the ILO. This informative meeting was an opportunity to review the history of the preparations for the first World Social Summit in Copenhagen in 1995, its preparation, its duplication, as well as the monitoring of the implementation of the Copenhagen Action Plan for social development.

During this meeting, the parties took stock of the perspectives and expectations of the ILO, 30 years after the historic Summit of 1995, during which heads of state and government defined an ambitious common vision of social development aimed at social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and between countries.

The Moroccan diplomat highlighted, in this regard, that the next Summit should respond to the realities of today’s world, strengthen the implementation of the Cope
nhagen commitments and enhance an inclusive and united vision for social development. It should also revive the culture of trust between States and people in order to renew a social contract that fosters peace, coexistence and sustainable development in the world.

Finally, the two co-facilitators of the UN process relating to the World Social Summit informed their interlocutors that the next stage of preparations for the Summit will be the presentation and negotiation of the draft modalities. These modalities will be negotiated by the member states of the United Nations as of next week.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse