Sustainability in Vision 2030
All countries agreed on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their 169 targets at the United Nations in September 2015. These goals constitute a shared global framework of development priorities for 2030, aiming to end extreme poverty, promote prosperity and well-being for all, protect the environment, address climate change, and encourage good governance, peace, and security.
To fulfill Saudi Arabia's National Vision 2030, the Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) has implemented 13 Vision Realization Programs (VRPs). These VRPs have been established with specific objectives and KPIs tied to 5-year milestones, and each program is made up of initiatives and delivery plans. CEDA is responsible for overseeing the VRP program committees, which review progress annually. Strict accountability and transparency standards, defined by the Vision's governance framework, must be adhered to by all VRP delivery plans.
As a result, the Kingdom government has established multiple programs for the sake of supporting the SDG 2030 vision:
- Quality Life Program
- Financial Sector Development Program
- Housing Program
- Lifestyle Improvement Program
- Fiscal Balance Program
- National Transformation Program
- Enriching the Hajj and Umrah Experience
- Privatization Program
- National Companies Promotion Program
- National Industrial Development and Logistics Program
- Strategic Partnerships Program
- Human Capital Development Program
Saudi Vision 2030 is also supported by an integrated governance system consisting of several institutional structures that bring together a range of actors from the public and private sectors and charitable societies and associations. The Vision is the point of reference for all major decisions taken in the Kingdom to ensure that future projects align with Vision themes and strengthen work toward their implementation. An assessment of linkages between the Vision 2030 goals and the 17 SDGs was conducted in 2018.
The assessment found that a significant degree of alignment exists between the two frameworks. Their timelines also match, running up to the year 2030. Adapting the SDGs to the realities of Saudi Arabia is a work in progress, and further alignment and integration are expected to be achieved as The SDGs targets. Indicators become incorporated into the government's detailed action plans and programs being developed and refined under the Vision 2030 framework.
SDG-related activities will proceed hand-in-hand with implementing Vision 2030, which has already gathered significant momentum. Key priority areas include improving the quality and coverage of SDG indicators and data analysis, aligning state programs and strategies with global development goals, targets, and indicators, and developing strategies for strengthening collaboration among different actors and key players. Other key priorities include:
- Strengthening the role of The SDGs at the sub-national level.
- Enhancing the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) infrastructure for tracking progress toward achieving the SDGs at the national and sub-national levels.
- Promoting international partnerships around the SDGs through development assistance, especially at the regional level.