The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented its third Voluntary National Review Report during the proceedings of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, organized by the United Nations in New York City, affirming its commitment to continue accelerating progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and advancing the targets of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

In his speech, Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Al-Ibrahim reviewed the highlights of the report, which comprehensively documents the progress made by the Kingdom in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with lessons learned and future priorities.

The report is a continuation of the two voluntary national reviews submitted by the Kingdom in 2018 and 2023, and includes the outcomes of extensive participatory efforts involving over 140 entities from the public and private sectors, academic institutions, the non-profit sector, in addition to the United Nations system.

Minister Al-Ibrahim said: 'The third voluntary national review embodies the contribution of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 in bringing about a qualitative transformation in the national development journey, and the tangible achievements it has translated to support the goals of the Sustainable Development Agenda. It reflects the progress the Kingdom has made since its national review in 2023, and the experiences and lessons it has gained, in a journey that began with an objective assessment of reality, continued with a path of reform and ambition, and now enters a new phase based on identifying priorities, enhancing implementation efficiency, and maximizing impact.'

The report identifies the Kingdom's priorities for the next phase, including: enhancing the prevention of non-communicable diseases, improving groundwater sustainability, accelerating the deployment of renewable energy projects, expanding financial inclusion, strengthening biosecurity and national capacities in vaccines, and continuing to develop data to support more accurate public policymaking.

The report also reflects the approach adopted by Vision 2030 in aligning the global sustainable development goals with a national implementation model, through the National Sustainable Development Plan, which organizes more than 90 development priorities within nine integrated tasks, focusing on achieving measurable results in the areas of people, economy, and environment.

The report reviews progress made in these tasks, including enhancing water security, expanding renewable energy, improving access to healthcare services, increasing women's participation in economic activity, developing digital government, supporting urban prosperity, advancing industrial development, and enabling more inclusive economic growth.

Keywords

Saudi Arabia

Third Voluntary National Review

Sustainable Development Goals 2030

Kingdom's Vision 2030

High-Level Political Forum

United Nations New York

Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia

Financial Inclusion

Biosecurity and Vaccines

National Sustainable Development Plan