JEDDAH: A major campaign to highlight the “shadow pandemic” of mental health has been launched in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Sustainable Development Association (Talga) in partnership with the Ministry of Health’s National Center for Mental Health Promotion (NCMH) are behind the ambitious new initiative titled, “Your Mental Health Comes First.”
The nationwide scheme will work to raise awareness about issues such as anxiety, depression, and work burnout and ways to prevent and treat the conditions. By 2030 officials hope to have trained at least one-third of the people living in the Kingdom as mental health first aid practitioners.
Talga and the NCMH this week hosted the first of their collaborative mental health first aid practitioner training courses, which was attended by around 50 people from throughout the Kingdom.
The internationally accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training programs have been Arabized and adapted culturally by Saudi experts.
Abeer bint Saud bin Farhan Al-Saud, Talga’s chair, told Arab News: “Mental health is a shadow pandemic and is as important as physical health. Through this nationwide campaign we are shedding light on breaking the stigma of mental health and raising awareness about ways of treatment.
“In addition to the campaign, we have a strong ambition at Talga, in partnership with the NCMH, to train at least one-third of Saudi residents and citizens by 2030 as certified mental health first aid practitioners and trainers.”
She said that training people to become more literal in mental health would help to meet some of the socioeconomic targets of Vision 2030 reform plan and the associated goals of the country’s Quality of Life Program.
Haifa Aleshaiwi, MHFA program manager at the NCMH, said that in recent years 107 training programs in 17 locations throughout the Kingdom had trained more than 3,300 Saudis as certified mental health first aid practitioners.
“The program was implemented previously across both public and private sectors and recently gained the attention and appreciation of Talga, a nonprofit organization from the third sector,” she added.
Nada Ibrahim, partnerships and communications adviser at Talga, said: “If there is universal cause that could unite the media then this is a great opportunity to support, encourage, and highlight this kind of program that has a tangible impact and meaningful values in society from all media outlets and key media leaders.”
A male college student with schizophrenia who participated in the training said that he had always been ashamed to mention his condition due to the stigma surrounding mental health, adding that people needed to receive more physical training in the topic of mental health.
Saudi campaign highlights ‘shadow pandemic’ of mental health
https://arab.news/yqevj
Saudi campaign highlights ‘shadow pandemic’ of mental health
- By 2030 officials hope to have trained at least one-third of people living in Kingdom as first aid practitioners
Saudi House kicks off Davos with push on Vision 2030, AI platform and ‘humanizing’ tourism
- Saudi ministers dominate pre-summit spotlight at Saudi pavilion, touting Vision 2030’s next phase and human capital as key to global edge
- Ministry of Economy and Planning announced the SUSTAIN Platform which aims to accelerate AI-enabled, cross-sector collaboration for sustainable development
DAVOS: For regulars at the World Economic Forum, Monday in Davos is usually a chance to ease into the week, a time to reconnect, plan meetings and prepare for the intense schedule ahead.
This year, Saudi Arabia moved quickly to fill that lull, taking center stage with a packed program of panels ahead of Tuesday’s official opening.
At the Saudi House — the Kingdom’s official pavilion on the Promenade, returning after its debut as a standalone venue at the 2025 WEF Annual Meeting — Saudi ministers and global executives set out how the Kingdom sees the next phase of its transformation.
Established by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the venue is pitched as a platform for international thought leaders to tackle the challenges, opportunities and solutions shaping the global economy.
Opening a session on the Kingdom’s role at this year’s Forum and the next phase of Vision 2030 — now in its 10th year and roughly two-thirds complete — Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, said human capital “is the actual driver if you want a competitive, modern economy.”
She described one of the biggest achievements of the past decade as the emergence of a highly qualified cohort of young Saudis who could work anywhere in the world but “choose to come home, choose to build at home and choose to deliver at home,” calling this “the biggest symbol of the success of Vision 2030.”
Who can give you optimum access to opportunities while addressing risks? I contend that Saudi Arabia has been able to provide that formula.
Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi minister of investment
On the same panel, Minister of Finance Mohammed Aljadaan said this success is rooted in a “behavioral change” that has strengthened the Kingdom’s credibility with both international partners and its own citizens.
“Credibility comes from being very pragmatic, making sure that you maintain your fiscal policy discipline, but at the same time refocus your resources where it matters,” he said, warning that “markets will call your bluff if you’re not serious.”
The Saudi House, a cross-ministerial initiative led by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, is intended to underscore the Kingdom’s “commitment to global cooperation” by offering “a platform where visionary ideas are shared and shaped,” while showcasing opportunities and lessons from its “unprecedented national transformation.”
Echoing earlier comments to Arab News, Economy and Planning Minister Faisal Alibrahim said the Kingdom’s role as an anchor of stability has helped unlock its potential, stressing that while the objective is to decouple from reliance on a single commodity, “2030 is not the finishing line.”
Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi minister of investment, said Saudi Arabia has been able to enable access to opportunities while addressing major risks, arguing that few countries can match the Kingdom’s overall mix.
“No country has all of those to 100 percent,” he said. “But who can give you the mix that gives you optimum access to opportunities while addressing all of those risks?
“I contend that Saudi Arabia has been able to provide that formula and the proof is in the pudding,” noting that local investment has doubled in recent years to reach levels comparable with India and China.
While societal transformation dominated the morning discussions, the afternoon turned to technology, tourism, sport and culture, four strategic sectors expected to spearhead Vision 2030’s next phase.
The Ministry of Economy and Planning used the day to announce the SUSTAIN Platform, due to launch in 2026, which aims to accelerate AI-enabled, cross-sector collaboration for sustainable development.
The ministry said SUSTAIN will translate the Kingdom’s public and private-sector coordination mandate into a practical national tool to help government entities, businesses, investors, academia and civil society identify credible partners, form trusted coalitions and move initiatives “from planning to implementation more efficiently,” addressing a global challenge where fragmented partnerships often slow delivery and blunt impact.
“We are in a moment in time where technology may well impact the face of humanity,” said Dina Powell McCormick, recently appointed president and vice chairman of Meta, welcoming the Kingdom’s “desire” to partner with technology companies and its embrace of innovation.
Minister of Tourism Ahmed Alkhateeb, discussing how technology is being deployed in his sector, underlined that “in travel and tourism, people are very important. We learn about other people’s culture through interacting with people. We digitalize the unnecessary and humanize the necessary.”
He added that while technological transformation is a priority, “we don’t want to replace this big workforce with technology. I think we need to protect them in Saudi Arabia, where we’re being a model. I’m an advocate of keeping the people.”
Throughout the week, Saudi House will host more than 20 sessions, including over 10 accredited by the WEF, across six themes: Bold Vision, Insights for Impact, People and Human Capability, Quality of Life, Investment and Collaboration, and Welcoming the World.
The pavilion will also launch “NextOn,” a new series of influential and educational talks featuring leading global voices.
