Saudi Arabia Becomes the First Arab Nation to Host the G20 Summit

Saudi Arabia has become the first Arabian nation to take over the presidency of the G20 Summit, as it seeks to shine on the world stage, following global criticism over its cases of human rights violation.

In the past few years, the oil-rich kingdom has promoted a liberalization drive in the country, which also includes granting greater autonomy to the women, but has faced strong criticism over its crackdown on dissent and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.

The G20 Summit Presidency is taken over by Saudi Arabia from Japan. The summit is going to be held between November 21-22 next year, Saudi capital is going to host world leaders for the global summit.

The official Saudi Press Agency said, “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia assumes the G20 Presidency today, leading up to the summit in Riyadh. The Saudi G20 presidency is committed to continuing the work from Osaka and promoting multilateral consensus”.

The kingdom’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has hailed this as a unique opportunity to shape its international consensus. In the run-up to the summit, Saudi Arabia is going to host more than 100 events and conferences including ministerial meetings.

Dennis Snower, President of the think tank Global Solutions Initiative in a statement said, “When Saudi Arabia assumes the G20 presidency, it will become the first (Arab) nation to lead this intergovernmental body. This presidency will be challenged by a central paradox global risks like climate change, demographic developments, such as low birth rates, rising life expectancy, and aging societies but rising populism and nationalism are preventing progress at the multilateral level”.

Some rights groups have already approached the G20 member nation to exert pressure on Saudi Arabia over its intensifying crackdown on dissent, which includes several women activists, journalists, and political dissidents, who are jailed.

Heba Morayef, Director Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement. “Saudi Arabia steps up to the G20 presidency amid a new wave of arbitrary arrests of peaceful critics, with many human rights defenders who are still languishing behind the bars, just over a year since the horrifying killing of Jamal Khashoggi. World leaders in the G20 must pressure Prince Mohammed to ensure enjoyment of all human rights including freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly”. 

Amidst all this, media reports say, Saudi Arabia had once again detained at least nine academics, activists and writers in a series of its latest crackdowns on intellectuals over the past two years.