General / Voluntary National Review Highlights Contributions of Endowments to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Riyadh, 02 Safar 1448 AH corresponding to July 16, 2026 AD SPA - The third Voluntary National Review of the Kingdom highlighted the growing role of endowments in supporting sustainable development, shedding light on the contributions of the General Authority for Endowments in directing endowment returns towards priority groups and areas, and expanding their impact in housing, education, health, and developmental finance. The Authority's contributions were included in the report presented by the Kingdom during the work of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, as part of the review of progress made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the targets of Vision 2030. The 2026 report marked the first direct and expanded presence of endowments within the Kingdom's voluntary reports. The report stated that the developmental expenditure of endowments under the Authority's supervision exceeded 200 million riyals during the period from 2023 to 2025, including more than 100 million riyals for housing programs that benefited 3,500 families, and more than 100 million riyals for direct and indirect assistance in the fields of education, healthcare, and microfinance. It also highlighted several developmental partnerships and initiatives, including an investment portfolio worth one billion riyals in partnership with the Al Othaim Charitable Foundation, of which 548.5 million riyals were allocated to support 8,235 beneficiaries through 79 projects, in addition to the "Da'm" financing product worth 150 million riyals, in partnership with the Social Development Bank and the Fund for Supporting Associations, to provide sustainable financing for non-profit entities. The review addressed geographic justice initiatives that supported the establishment of endowment entities in less-served regions, including Hail and Tabuk, alongside the Authority's contributions to empowering persons with disabilities through the expansion of the Endowment Autism Center in Madinah in 2023, and the launch of the "Digital Factory" in 2024 as the first endowment-funded laboratory for producing assistive technologies. It also referred to the work of the "Ehsan" platform through partnerships with several entities, including the General Authority for Endowments, and the role of its endowment fund in investing charitable capital and distributing its returns to more than 1,600 civil society organizations. These results reflect the growing presence of endowments as a sustainable developmental tool, and their ability to transform endowment returns into long-term social impact that serves priority groups and supports the sustainability of non-profit work. It is noteworthy that the General Authority for Endowments works to strengthen the endowment sector, its governance, and preservation, and to develop and raise awareness of it through innovative endowment products and services provided to beneficiaries, to be a leader in sustainable development locally and globally, fulfilling the conditions of donors, applying best practices, and contributing to the advancement of endowment work, its empowerment, and enhancing its economic and social impact. // End // 19:30 T M 0157