Saudi Arabia recently hosted a digital meeting with business heads from the G20 nations to discuss strategy for the post-pandemic period, the media reported.
The session was called “Reviving Business for a New Normal” and was carried out virtually by Saudi Arabia and the business chiefs of all G20 nations.
Yousef Al Benyan, chair of B20 Saudi Arabia told the media, “The only way to address a crisis of this scale and protect workers is through a coordinated response and ongoing discussions between the global business community and governments. We must also prioritize micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises across the world as they are being hardest hit and account for more than 80 percent of employment in many countries. We must safeguard their viability.”
Nasser Al Nasser, the Saudi Telecom chief executive and chair of the B20 Digitalisation Taskforce highlighted the importance of collaboration between governments and businesses to improve access to digital infrastructure, which will play a crucial role in the post-pandemic period.
Recently, health ministers of all G20 nations also held a similar virtual meeting to discuss strategies to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed the global economy into recession.
Last week, Saudi Arabia, the current G20 chair, pledged $500 million to support global efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and urged other countries and organisations to help bridge an $8 billion financing gap.
The kingdom will forward around $150 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation, $150 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations, and $200 million to other health organisations and programmes.