NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia’s Economy and Planning Minister Faisal F. Alibrahim presented the Kingdom’s third Voluntary National Review on the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Monday, framing Vision 2030 as the vehicle that has translated the global 2030 Agenda into measurable progress over the past decade.
Alibrahim told delegates that Saudi Arabia stood “at an important crossroads” a decade ago, faced with a choice between a familiar economic model that had “delivered for decades” or a bolder path of reform.
“That path was Saudi Vision 2030,” he said, describing the review as “the raw story” of a journey that began with “honest self-assessment” and has now entered a phase focused on prioritization, efficient delivery and higher impact.
Alibrahim said the Kingdom’s traditional economic model had built infrastructure, expanded services and given Saudi Arabia “a central role in the global economy.” But acknowledged that the economy remained heavily dependent on oil and public spending even as a young, growing population sought broader opportunities.
Institutions, he said, needed stronger capacities “to regulate, coordinate and deliver in a more complex and diversified economy.”
That assessment, he said, became the basis for reforms spanning sector liberalization, regulatory streamlining and improved investment conditions — some moving quickly, others requiring “deeper institutional change” that continues to mature.
The minister cited a “structural shift” in the labor market, with female participation doubling since 2017 to reach 34 percent, alongside growing numbers of women in leadership and entrepreneurship.
Non-oil activities now account for 55 percent of real gross domestic product, up from 45 percent at the start of Vision 2030, he said, adding that 74 non-oil sectors recorded annual growth above 5 percent over the past five years, including 38 that grew more than 10 percent.
Government delivery has also been transformed, Alibrahim said, with services redesigned around users and tracked against clearer performance indicators.
He noted that Saudi Arabia now ranks sixth in the UN E-Government Development Index, up from 31st in 2022, describing an evolving government role that increasingly focuses on enabling businesses and investors rather than direct delivery alone.
Alibrahim said Vision 2030 has served as the Kingdom’s pathway for advancing the SDGs, with more than 90 sustainable development topics consolidated into nine national missions designed to prioritize the areas of greatest impact for people, the economy and the environment.
He pointed to progress across several of these missions. In water security, desalinated water production capacity has risen from 4.6 million cubic meters per day in 2016 to more than 16 million today, with the private sector’s share of desalination capacity climbing from 26 percent in 2019 to 42 percent.
In health, basic coverage increased from 84 percent in 2019 to 97 percent in 2024, he said, citing the national digital health platform Sehhaty, which has reached more than 31 million users and delivered over 51 million instant consultations.
On energy, Alibrahim said renewable energy capacity has expanded “more than 500-fold” since 2016, from 24 megawatts to 12.3 gigawatts in 2025, while more than 1.1 million housing units are now powered by renewable energy, up from 150,000 in 2022.
The country continues to advance clean fuels and carbon management alongside its role as a “responsible global energy steward,” he said.
The minister highlighted the Kingdom’s international development footprint, including a $500 million contribution to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative channeled through Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief, which he said supports the vaccination of 370 million children annually.
The Saudi Fund for Development has financed more than 800 projects across over 100 developing countries, he added, while the nation’s companies such as ACWA Power have signed clean energy agreements deploying roughly $7 billion across Africa in the past two years.
Alibrahim also described local-level transformation in destinations including AlUla, where small businesses are professionalizing as tourism grows. And in Riyadh’s Wadi Hanifa, which he said has been converted into 120 km of ecological infrastructure that naturally treats around 650,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily.
He cited the Saudi Royal Reserves program as protecting distinct ecosystems and safeguarding hundreds of endangered species.
Despite the gains, Alibrahim acknowledged unfinished work, saying wider labor participation “must be matched by stronger well-being and financial inclusion,” that non-communicable diseases remain a risk to long-term health spending, and that financial literacy and access require further strengthening.
The next phase, he said, would focus on raising productivity, strengthening private-sector competitiveness and expanding into higher-value exports.
Noting that global SDG progress remains “behind the pace required for 2030,” Alibrahim said the world now has more evidence of “what works” than it did in 2015, making prioritization “essential” as the Kingdom works to “scale what works” and address shortfalls “with greater urgency, better evidence and stronger execution.”
