Saudi Arabia cancels 2026 ‘Davos in the Desert’ amid Houthi attacks

Riyadh postpones flagship investment conference until 2027, orders government staff to work from home.

Al Jazeera2026-10-20 01:05查看原文 ↗

Riyadh postpones flagship investment conference until 2027, orders government staff to work from home.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud speaks at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 31, 2024 [Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters]

Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference has been postponed until next year, according to a statement on the official website, as deadly strikes by the Iran-backed Houthis against the kingdom continue.

The annual event was due to start next week on October 26 and run through October 29, with a date next year to be announced “very soon”, the statement released on Tuesday said.

list 1 of 3 Saudi-led forces try to break Houthi siege of Taiz with airstrikes

list 2 of 3 Fighting intensifies across Yemen as humanitarian crisis deepens

list 3 of 3 Iran support for Houthis probed as Yemen war re-erupts and Saudi cities hit

FII Institute chief executive officer Dr Maha Bint Mishari Al Saud said the decision “comes from a deep commitment to our partners, members, speakers and delegates”.

“Because this is our landmark tenth edition, we want to ensure it delivers the full scale, extraordinary quality, and unforgettable impact that our community has come to expect and truly deserves,” she said.

Informally dubbed “Davos in the Desert”, a nod to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland, the state-backed conference showcases the kingdom’s ambitious investment plans in a bid to attract billions of dollars needed to fund its economic transformation away from hydrocarbons towards tourism, sport and technology.

Expected speakers included: Alphabet & Google’s president and chief information officer, Ruth Porat; Goldman Sachs Group chairman and CEO David Solomon; and BlackRock chairman and CEO Laurence Fink, according to the FII website.

Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid International after Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 8, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video [Reuters]

Fighting between a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government and the Iran-aligned Houthis has escalated in recent weeks.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have hit military, energy and civilian infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s international airport , killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds more.

Government staff to work from home

Government agencies in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, have told employees to work from home, one worker and two consultants told the AFP news agency, as the city comes under repeated attack from the Houthis.

The Kingdom Centre, a 99‑storey tower in downtown Riyadh that houses the International Monetary Fund’s regional office, also requested workers stay away until further notice.

On Sunday, an employee of a government agency in the capital received a message saying, “It has been decided to implement remote work from Monday to Thursday this week”. The message added: “We ask everyone to continue their activities as normal.”

Companies based in the King Abdullah Financial District, which hosts offices of major United States firms, have also asked employees to work from home, according to other sources.

利雅得将旗舰投资会议推迟至2027年，并命令政府工作人员居家办公。

2024年10月31日，沙特外交大臣费萨尔·本·法尔汉·阿勒沙特亲王在沙特阿拉伯利雅得举行的未来投资倡议（FII）会议上发表讲话。[哈马德·穆罕默德/路透社]

据沙特阿拉伯官方网站发布的一份声明称，由于伊朗支持的胡塞武装对沙特王国的致命袭击持续不断，沙特未来投资倡议（FII）会议已推迟至明年举行。

该年度活动原定于下周 10 月 26 日开始，持续到 10 月 29 日，明年的日期将“很快”公布，周二发布的声明称。

列表 1/3：沙特领导的部队试图通过空袭打破胡塞武装对塔伊兹的围困

也门战事愈演愈烈，人道主义危机加剧（共3条记录，此为第2条）

也门战争再度爆发，沙特城市遭到袭击，伊朗对胡塞武装的支持受到调查（共3条，此为第3条）。

FII 研究所首席执行官 Maha Bint Mishari Al Saud 博士表示，这一决定“源于我们对合作伙伴、成员、演讲者和代表的深切承诺”。

“因为这是我们具有里程碑意义的第十届，我们希望确保它能够达到我们社区所期望和真正应得的规模、质量和令人难忘的影响，”她说。

该会议非正式地被称为“沙漠中的达沃斯”，以致敬在瑞士举行的世界经济论坛年会。这场由国家支持的会议展示了王国雄心勃勃的投资计划，旨在吸引数十亿美元资金，以资助其经济转型，从碳氢化合物转向旅游、体育和科技。

据 FII 网站报道，预计的演讲嘉宾包括：Alphabet 和 Google 的总裁兼首席信息官 Ruth Porat；高盛集团董事长兼首席执行官 David Solomon；以及贝莱德集团董事长兼首席执行官 Laurence Fink。

2026年10月8日，也门胡塞武装声称袭击了沙特阿拉伯利雅得的哈立德国王国际机场，现场浓烟滚滚，火光冲天。（此截图来自社交媒体视频）[路透社]