His Excellency the Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social, in charge of Social Welfare, Eng. Sultan Aljorais, today, Sunday 28 April 2024, headed the Kingdom's delegation participating in the 11^th Cooperative Ministerial Conference for the Asia-Pacific Region, held in the Dead Sea region, Jordan, during the period from 28-30 April 2024 AD.

H.E. the Acting Deputy delivered a speech in which he thanked the host country for the good organization and warm reception. He pointed out the importance of the role of the cooperative sector in development and economics, especially in achieving the sustainable development goals, and reviewed some areas of economic empowerment developed by the Kingdom to support social groups such as working closely with a group of public and private sector partners to establish cooperatives that focus on job creation and production opportunities for targeted sectors, in addition to some recent initiatives launched by the Kingdom that aim to accelerate the growth of the cooperative sector in the Kingdom.

On the sidelines of the conference, H.E. Aljorais met with the President of the International Co-operative Alliance, Dr. Ariel Guarco, in the presence of His Excellency the Director General of Cooperative Associations, Mr. Maan Alangari, and a number of officials and specialists at the Ministry.

During the meeting, H.E. reviewed the Ministry's achievements in the cooperative sector in recent years. Topics of common interest were also discussed. H.E. highlighted the importance of strengthening the partnership between the Ministry and the International Cooperative Alliance in various fields, as well as reviewing the best international practices and lessons learned from the Alliance's member countries, and the importance of the cooperative sector in the fields of economic and social development in the Kingdom.

The meeting comes as a continuation of the distinguished relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all international organizations, and the Ministry's endeavor to enhance and develop bilateral international relations in all fields at all levels.