G20 leadership: Saudi Arabia at global center stage and lessons learned

G20 leadership: Saudi Arabia at global center stage and lessons learned

In November 2020, the G20 summit concluded with Saudi Arabia holding the presidency. It was an extraordinary effort by the host country to tackle previous issues as well as new ones thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, making the G20 a virtual event. Despite all the obstacles, the Riyadh G20 summit focused on three main areas: Empowering people, safeguarding the planet and shaping new frontiers. The Kingdom has quickly moved to capitalize on some key areas, especially under the theme of shaping new frontiers, which addressed utilizing and sharing the benefits of innovation through international collaboration, and harnessing the benefits of digitalization across economies, including advances in artificial intelligence and the development of smart cities. In July 2021, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the Saudi Center of 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) as part of the World Economic Forum of global 4IR centers, with a special focus on logistics, AI application, transportation and smart cities — exemplified in NEOM’s ambitious The Line project. The wider benefit to Saudi Arabia was the diffusion of international expertise, as the G20 presidency established various engagement groups comprising independent stakeholders and international experts, giving a chance to many Saudi experts to participate and acquire relevant skills. Again,