������Ƶ

ALKHOBAR: Women parliamentarians, diplomats and rights advocates from the Gulf, the Middle East and Europe met in an online forum on Tuesday to discuss the humanitarian and political impact of Yemen’s ongoing conflict and the role of women leaders in shaping peacebuilding efforts.

The online meeting, organized by Forward Thinking, a London-based nongovernmental organization specializing in political dialogue and mediation across the Gulf-Middle East and North Africa region, was part of its Women for a Sustainable Future network.

The session, held under the Chatham House Rule, focused on the gendered consequences of the war in Yemen and explored how female parliamentarians can contribute to inclusive recovery efforts.

Speakers included Yemeni experts Ousan Mohammed Saeed Ali, head of the Women’s Department in the Supreme Council of the Popular Resistance; Dr. Nabila Ghaleb, founder of the Fekrah Foundation for Media Rights for Women; and Areej Rashid Thabet Al-Nabhi, a rights activist working with victims’ families.

Dr. Huda Al-Helaissi, former member of ������Ƶ’s Shoura Council, told Arab News afterward that the forum served to bring “issues of importance to global attention via its varied participants and international parliamentarians.”

She explained that its goal was to “give access and voices to suffering people, especially women, who cannot reach the West.”

Reflecting on the discussion, Al-Helaissi added that the meeting brought to the forefront the reality of the “distress and heartbreaking poverty” facing Yemenis and the particular “burden” endured by women.

After over a decade of conflict, more than 18 million people in Yemen are in need of assistance, and women and girls face heightened risks of displacement, food insecurity and gender-based violence.

Established in 2018, the Women for a Sustainable Future network brings together female parliamentarians, government officials, and experts from across the Gulf-MENA region and Europe.

Its members include representatives from ������Ƶ, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Sweden, and the UK. The initiative promotes cross-regional collaboration to tackle issues such as climate change, economic instability, and social inequality. 

Through regular meetings, both in person and online, the network creates a platform for women leaders to exchange knowledge and develop policy recommendations that can be implemented within their national parliaments.

Forward Thinking serves as the convenor of the network and maintains partnerships with institutions, including the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the World Health Organization.

RIYADH: Sustainable tourism has become a key measure of ������Ƶ’s transformation, as the Kingdom seeks to balance economic growth with cultural preservation and environmental sustainability.

Speaking to Arab News, a media partner at Athar Festival, Abdulrahman Al-Jefri, destination and live assets executive director at Diriyah Co., said global definitions of sustainability are changing.

“The world is shifting into a new definition for sustainability, where today we have very specific technologies called sustainable tourism,” he said.

“Sustainable tourism is not just preserving the world for the younger generation, the next generation, it’s actually recreating the asset that has been loose, lost or consumed.”

Al-Jefri said tourism has one of the highest environmental impacts due to its carbon footprint and waste across the value chain.

He added that Diriyah’s approach emphasizes walkability, traditional design and landscape protection to reduce that impact.

“We are mandated to preserve the greenery that we have had for 2,000 years in Wadi Hanifa,” he said. “Today, we’re preserving all trees and actually planting more than 1 million trees in our destination. And the architecture methodology, which is mud brick, is a breathable material and low-rise. It’s also a promoter for these kind of sustainable tools.”

Al-Jefri said the Kingdom’s growing tourism sector is also creating new opportunities for young Saudis, and expanding destinations beyond religious tourism.

He added that the tourism sector is now a key pillar of the national plan to diversify income sources.

During a panel titled “Beyond Moments: Transforming Tourism Experiences into Legacies in the Middle East,” Melanie De Souza, destination marketing executive director at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said travel expectations are shifting globally.

She added that people are looking for meaning and “deep cultural immersion and connection.

“I think, increasingly, the customer of today is making decisions based on their own values,” she added. “What is really resonating with customers is this very serious responsibility we feel, to protect and preserve the heritage we have inherited, to really restore our landscapes and breathe wild with the ultimate hope.”

Wadha Al-Nafjan, senior visitor services manager at the King Salman Park Foundation, said visitor experiences should move beyond services to foster emotional connection.

“(It can be done) by designing emotional connection to a place through active participation,” she said.

She added that destinations must continuously evolve to keep visitors engaged and that lasting value in tourism comes from how projects improve people’s lives.

“Moments create attention but I think legacies are built when you design with the intention of improving people’s lives,” Al-Nafjan said.