Saudi Gazette report

Riyadh — The Council of Ministers chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Tuesday praised the approval of the strategic concept for the master plan of the Gulf of NEOM area.

The approval was given by the NEOM constituent council presided over by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense who is also the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The Gulf of NEOM is the first inhabited area to be developed as part of the mega project.

The Cabinet also lauded the issuance of directives to complete studies to start construction and development work in Q1 2019.

The Cabinet welcomed the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 2452 to set up a UN mission to support the Hodeida agreement in line with the Stockholm pact. It also stressed that the UN mission should ensure that both sides fulfill their commitments and it should also monitor that both sides abide by the ceasefire agreement in Hodeida.

The Council of Ministers gave the go-ahead for the Kingdom to join the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.