RIYADH: The Madinah Region Development Authority participated in the main session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN headquarters in New York, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

In the session, titled “Transformation from the Ground Up: Acting at Local Level,” the authority highlighted Madinah’s pioneering role and the Kingdom’s leadership in localizing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Abdulrahman Ibrahim, the authority’s chief data and innovation officer, said Madinah had become a model for international best practices.

Key initiatives include the 2023 Madinah City Voluntary Local Review — the first in the Kingdom and second in the Arab region; the 2024 State of Sustainable Development Report for Madinah Region — the first Voluntary Subnational Review in the Arab region; and the launch of the Atlas of Sustainable Development in Madinah City Neighborhoods, a global first for precise, neighborhood-level SDG assessment.

The session also reviewed successful local and regional approaches to accelerating sustainable SDG solutions, discussing key enablers and opportunities to expand local action.

The authority’s participation, part of the Saudi delegation led by Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim, underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to sustainable development aligned with Vision 2030.

The UN forum, running through to July 23, also featured dialogue sessions on global frameworks for resilient urban development and strategies to create value for cities through data-driven trends.