Riyadh hosts FII: humanity, sustainability, global issues in focus

Riyadh: The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Forum returned to Riyadh after two years on Tuesday, but this time for discussions on serving humanity and solving big problems globally, instead of discussing big contracts, Arab News reported. This is the fifth staging of the forum.

The forum opened with singer Gloria Gaynor performing the famous song "I Will Survive". On the end of the first day of the event, Saudi Aramco announced deals to make it more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Women empowerment was another hot topic in the event. In a panel discussion, Steven Schwarzman of investment management company Blackstone said that theirs was a male-dominated business and decided to change that in 2015. But Ana Botin, chairperson of Banco Santander, was the only woman in the eight-person panel, though there were female speakers in the opening of the forum.

The FII returns after it was postponed last year due to the pandemic situation, while Saudi Arabia is going through a profound transformation. Riyadh is no longer talking a language of its own but a global language, Arab News says. The kingdom is now in discussions of "saving the planet", "sustainability", "carbon emissions reduction", and "planning for a better world."