Riyadh, October 21 (BNA): International cooperation and pluralism will once again be highlighted in the fifth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), which will bring together at least 5,200 people, including state leaders, senior ministers, corporate leaders, policy makers, investors and Innovators from all over the world are expected to participate.
Senior FII officials said the number of people involved in this edition far exceeds previous numbers, but insisted their focus will be on quality.
The fifth edition, to be held on October 26-28 in a hybrid format under the theme “Investing in Humanity”, will address many issues, including artificial intelligence, robotics, education, healthcare and sustainability.
Richard Attias, CEO of the FII Institute, Director of Operations at FII Rakan Trabzoni, and Head of Investments at FII, Anthony Berkeley, highlighted the global event program at a press conference hosted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Atias said the edition will discuss ways to invest in clean water, education, public health, gender equality and combating poverty, especially in countries that cannot receive COVID-19 vaccines.
The media conference comes within the framework of the FII’s efforts to enhance communication with local and international media and introduce them to the Fifth Edition program.
“The proportion of people who have received the vaccine in Africa is about 1%, which brings a sense of remorse, as we must be generous, involved and inclusive, and these are the directions we received from leaders when we set up the institute,” said Attias.
He referred to Saudi Vision 2030 and its vibrant society through empowering young men and women and their positive impact on humanity.
The CEO indicated that all kinds of sectors started to work normally after the pandemic, as all sectors need sustainability by investing in humanity, stressing that the institute’s program urges that.
“To build trust, you need partners who work with you, and it is not easy to convince international companies to join FII as strategic partners,” said Atias, noting that FII will launch many initiatives in healthcare, artificial intelligence, social and environmental initiatives, and educational governance. .
He added that the work started locally and internationally and that the idea was born in Saudi Arabia and registered in the United States and an office will be opened in Asia.
Atiyas stressed that the presence of global partners, including Saudi companies, such as Saudi Aramco and Ma’aden, in addition to projects such as NEOM and Al-Ula, will all achieve a global impact, stressing that Saudi Arabia is waiting for a tourism future. He expressed his appreciation to the partners who will invest large sums of money in FII which is one of the biggest global initiatives.
The CEO indicated that the institute has products that have reached 60 pages of research in the field of health care, sustainability, poverty, social and environmental governance, all of which provided ideas for finding solutions to many problems in various sectors, especially those related to the health sector and sustainability.
He added that countries are increasing GDP spending by 5% in the health sector as part of GDP, which plays a role in increasing the average human lifespan by nine years, which is a significant achievement.
Attias said that during the past two years, and due to extensive studies and research, there has been an increased interest in research in the health sector in particular, which has not happened during the past twenty years due to the fact that the investment has not been much in the field in which the institute seeks to shed light on such These areas are important.
With regard to social and environmental governance, he said that the FII was seeking to prepare a new approach based on the assessment of social and environmental management and to build a fair and comprehensive framework that would form the basis of the initiative.
“The Institute’s Board of Trustees set a goal to express an opinion on social and environmental governance because of its significant and tangible impact on the investment market, and therefore some research was conducted through the Study and Research Center with the aim of increasing productivity.”
“The concept of social and environmental governance is a framework within which investors and the CEO assess potential risks with any relationship to the environment and resource use.”
He pointed out that the process of transparent governance and leadership works to identify these risks and helps companies to be stronger and better financially.
Commenting on environmental governance, Attias said the institute has a mission to catalyze action and be part of social and environmental management.
Rakan Tarabzouni, Director of Operations at the FII, explained that the FII is independent and not-for-profit, and manages the activity as a result of the investments of the Public Investment Fund, under the directives of His Highness the Crown Prince, adding that the institute is conducting many studies in robotics (artificial intelligence), health care and sustainability. .
He stressed that the FII takes into account the main trends in investment that help create a better future for all, in addition to the investment arm, indicating that the institute has its platform that displays all its products, organizes many annual events around the world, and works. in concrete matters on the ground.
Head of Investments at the FII, Anthony Berkeley, confirmed that the institute focuses on investing in the humanitarian aspect, and works on positive investment opportunities for peoples and the planet, highlighting the importance of using technology in sustainability, health care and education.
He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working on concluding several investment agreements in the technology sector.
He cited King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) as one of the most important innovative entities that aim to find advanced technical solutions in the agricultural sector.
It has started building a reserve in the desert, relying on the use of solar energy to provide water, and using artificial intelligence to conduct the process of harvesting organic crops, which are currently sold in supermarkets.
He pointed out that whoever uses technology in agriculture aims to improve productivity and the agricultural production sector, stressing that the Kingdom is moving at a very fast pace in this regard, and pays great attention to companies that use technology in their production.
In response to a question about how FII stakeholders identify appropriate topics to meet the needs of countries, Attias said the conference has its own application that will broadcast the event live, adding that the conference will be paperless.
He said that more details will be revealed during the first session of the forum and that the same day will witness a meeting of the Board of Directors, where the session will include a speech by the Governor of the Public Investment Fund Yasser Al-Rumayyan and other speakers from several countries. Comp.
“This session will answer the question of how to invest in several countries and in what sectors to understand how the participants in the forum will be interested in pumping money and in what areas and what it will be like to invest in humanitarian areas, and all of them do not. I know where they will put their money and investments, but I know that they will invest in The future of mankind and I know they have already done like a Public Investment Fund that invests in several areas, especially sports and entertainment.” .
The CEO stressed that the Riyadh season is not just a show but an expression of the development of the entertainment industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that provides inspiring jobs to many people, in addition to the sports sector that has led to social progress and economic development. .
Atiyas explained that the return of economic life to normal after the Covid-19 epidemic requires flexibility, stressing that many countries have managed to recover economically, praising the role of the media in broadcasting correct information.
He also stressed the importance of artificial intelligence technologies that change lives and provide many new jobs.
He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, has worked to invest in this field, especially in humanitarian activities, noting that the fifth edition of the Fisheries Industries Initiative will receive many international companies seeking to establish headquarters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The FII Institute is a global nonprofit with one investment arm and one agenda: Impact on Humanity.
Global, inclusive, and built on ESG principles, FII nurtures great minds from around the world and transforms ideas into real-world solutions in five critical areas: sustainability, healthcare, education, artificial intelligence and robotics.