Delegates to the G20 Youth 20 Summit, the ‘Y20’, were taken on a virtual tour of AlUla in Northwest Saudi Arabia during a recent presentation by a fellow Y20 delegate.
The tour was part of a presentation on realising vision through collaborative actions to benefit both local and global communities, with the development of AlUla as a key example. This event is one of many Y20 engagements throughout the year with a focus on three key themes that complement the broader G20 goals: Future fit – preparing for the future of work and entrepreneurship; Empowerment – developing agile and dynamic future leaders; and Global citizens – promoting proactive, culturally sensitive problem solvers.
The presentation was the work of Noura Alrubaiq, who works within the Strategy and Planning team at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and has been selected to represent Saudi Arabia at the Y20 Summit.
“As a major cultural, natural and heritage tourism destination, AlUla is an example of how Saudi Arabia is positively changing under Vision 2030,” she said. “I wanted Y20 delegates to see first-hand what it looks like to bring visions into action as we work together to shape both our own communities and those around the world.”
The cultural event was attended by Y20 delegates from the 19 countries within the G20 and by other delegates from observer countries. As a forum for developing and empowering future generations, the Y20 provides a platform for young people to have their voices heard on issues relevant to the G20 agenda.
The Saudi Arabian Presidency has selected the theme, ‘Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century For All’. The three key agenda items to be addressed under this theme are: ‘Empowering People, by creating the conditions in which all people – especially women and youth – can live, work and thrive’; ‘Safeguarding the Planet, by fostering collective efforts to protect our global commons’; and ‘Shaping New Frontiers, by adopting long-term and bold strategies to share benefits of innovation and technological advancement.’
Empowering young people is a key focus of RCU. It sponsors scholarship and training programmes that give local youth the opportunity to study in the industries critical to AlUla’s development, such as tourism, hospitality, archaeology and agriculture.
Commenting on the Y20 virtual event, Waleed Aldayel, Chief Strategy & EPMO Officer at RCU, said: “Investing in our young leaders and including them in such global discussions is an important step in working together to shape the 21st century. We are very proud that Noura has been selected to as a Y20 delegate, and we are very pleased that she is using this platform to showcase the wonders of AlUla as an example of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals.”
The Y20 Summit will convene ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit from 15 – 17 of October. The Summit concludes with the drafting of the Y20 Communiqué.
The G20 is made up of 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
