Watch live: World Economic Forum special meeting kicks off in Riyadh

A special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) kicked off on Sunday from the Saudi capital Riyadh on the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza conflict.

The two-day meeting will host a number of economic and political figures including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Other high-ranking figures, prime ministers and officials from across the Middle East and Europe will also join the event.

Three different sessions were held in the morning to kick start the special meeting with each focusing on a unique topic.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan along with International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva participated in a session on approaches needed to reignite economic growth amid recent sustained slowdown in growth that has been compounded by a succession of crises and dislocations.

“I think cool-headed countries and leaders and people need to prevail, and you need to make sure that you actually de-escalate,” al-Jadaan said during the meeting.

In a separate session, the Kingdom’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said that the Kingdom is open to choices in energy provided that the economics are viable.

Prince Abdulaziz said that Saudi Arabia continues to “believe that the world will require every source of energy,” from hydrocarbons to nuclear energy and synthetic fuels.