Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud launched Vision 2030 in 2016 to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy and invest in human capital and natural wealth. [16].

Since becoming crown prince in 2017, he has driven sweeping economic and social reforms, including allowing women to drive and enter sports stadiums, and reopening cinemas as part of a broader modernization agenda. [8][10].

Vision 2030 has delivered strong macroeconomic momentum, with Saudi Arabia posting 8.7% real GDP growth in 2022, the fastest in the G20, alongside 4.8% non-oil GDP growth.

Private sector activity expanded by 5.3% in 2022 and the unemployment rate fell to 8%, reflecting broad-based gains beyond the oil sector.

Economic reforms boosted non-oil revenues and produced a budget surplus in 2023, while enhancing transparency, efficient spending, and investment inflows. [6].

The National Investment Strategy plans to inject 12 trillion riyals into the economy, complemented by government spending of 10 trillion riyals and Public Investment Fund (PIF) spending of 3 trillion riyals through 2030, for total inflows estimated at 27 trillion riyals.

The PIF underpins giga-projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea development, targets SAR 4 trillion in assets by 2025, and received 4% of Aramco shares to support diversification.

Saudi Arabia has committed roughly $1.25 trillion to real estate and infrastructure, underlining the scale of transformation under way.

A National Strategy for Industry prioritizes 12 subsectors, identifies more than 800 investment opportunities worth about SR1 trillion, aims to triple industrial domestic product by 2030, and targets a sixfold increase in advanced-tech exports with tens of thousands of quality jobs.

Tourism is a pillar of diversification, with a 64% surge in Q1 2023, a target of 30 million foreign tourists by 2030, and an ambition to reach 150 million total visitors by 2030. [7][8].

Saudi Arabia also lifted its cinema ban and earmarked $64 billion for entertainment, signaling a new focus on leisure industries to broaden the economy.

Digital transformation and the knowledge economy are central priorities, with the digital economy expected to contribute 19.20% of GDP by 2025.

The private sector’s contribution to GDP stands at 45% with a Vision 2030 target of 65% by the decade’s end.

To attract capital and technology, Saudi Arabia targets $100 billion in annual FDI by 2030, though clarity on regulations and investor perceptions remain hurdles.

The Kingdom is positioning Riyadh as a regional hub, allocating $800 billion to its transformation, and has attracted over 80 multinational regional headquarters with expected job creation.

Investor interest is rising, with opportunities across healthcare, retail, and energy, and Tadawul up more than 11% in the referenced period.

Governance of the transformation is centralized under the Council of Economic and Development Affairs chaired by the crown prince, which oversees sectoral work and reviews quarterly program performance. [82].

Progress is tracked through 243 Vision 2030 indicators, with 176 exceeding 2023 expectations, and performance is monitored via regular reports and reviews by the National Center for Performance Measurement. [50][51].

Social liberalization has advanced quickly, including lifting the ban on women driving in 2018 and allowing women to attend concerts and sporting events and mix in public spaces. [30][18].

Women can apply for passports and travel without a male guardian’s approval, work without a male relative’s consent, and participate more fully in public life. [30].

Women now make up 37% of the labor market, up from 17% in 2016, reflecting a dramatic rise in participation. [30].

Women hold over 30% of middle and senior management posts, and women’s representation in senior and middle management roles rose to 41.4% in 2021. [35].

Saudi Arabia scored 80/100 in gender equality metrics and achieved full marks in several Women, Business and Law indicators, mirroring a 94% jump in female economic participation from 2017 to 2020. [31].

Saudi women’s public presence has expanded to new domains, with two female ambassadors sworn in, and the first Saudi woman, Rayyana Barnawi, joining an ISS mission under the national space program. [30].

A defining element of the social shift has been curtailing the influence of the Wahhabi religious establishment by restricting the powers of the religious police, whose authority was stripped and limited to awareness roles. [38].

The General Entertainment Authority was created to manage cultural events, helping shift social norms by organizing concerts and mixed-gender activities nationwide. [38].

The state has also moved against clerics who opposed government policies, and pursued reforms to promote moderation in religious discourse through the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. [21].

Public life reflects these changes, from concerts and music to relaxed social codes in some settings, further signaling the reduced role of religious policing in daily life. [40].

Rebranding national identity has accompanied these steps, including “Foundation Day” and other measures that emphasize a broader historical narrative.

Quality-of-life indicators have trended positively, with improvements in health standards and happiness reported under the reform program.

Public confidence has strengthened, with surveys showing high trust in institutions and strong confidence in government performance.

The reform drive has not been without challenges, including concerns from rights groups about restrictions on public worship for non-Muslims and Shi’a communities, and the arrest of some women’s rights activists in 2018. [42][8].

On the economic front, achieving FDI targets requires regulatory clarity, and some projects could face delays due to funding needs as the Kingdom calibrates investment pacing.

Taken together, Vision 2030 has accelerated economic diversification, modernized governance, expanded opportunities for women and youth, and recalibrated the role of the religious establishment, while navigating complex social and investment challenges on the path to a more open and resilient Saudi Arabia. [7][3][38][30].

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud launched Vision 2030 in 2016 to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy and invest in human capital and natural wealth. [16].

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia on its 92nd day
T + T - normal size
On September 23 of every year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates its national day, which falls this year 92 years.
On this occasion, dear to the hearts of the Emiratis, the leadership and the people.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed a major real boom and an openness to the future in a positive and creative manner, while maintaining its deep religious values and principles..!!
Since the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, took power in Saudi Arabia..
During his auspicious reign, many decisions were made in the interest of the Saudi citizen.
Comprehensive and radical change.
With attention and development in all facilities and sites in the government sector and the private sector.
Housing and the elimination of corruption.
The empowerment of Saudi women in all aspects and fields of political, social, economic, sports, science and technology, etc.
Saudi women, for the first time under King Salman, were able to participate in municipal elections and have the right to vote.
A historic royal decree allowing Saudi women to drive was also issued, which, most importantly, had a positive international resonance.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ’ s Vision 2030, which aims to invest the Kingdom in its human resources in addition to its natural wealth in an optimal way without relying on oil, is the most important achievement in Saudi Arabia ’ s economic history, according to economic experts.
Saudi Arabia has also advanced several places in its ranking in economic reforms and the ambitious vision it is working on.
The published reports confirm that the Kingdom has seen the greatest improvement in the last three years.
Saudis have seen improvements in health standards, a rise in happiness and a decline in anxiety.
The historical Saudi-Emirati relations are rooted in wise and moderate orientations.
They have identical and clear positions and visions, especially on the latest issues and topics of common interest, foremost of which is strengthening the security and stability of the region and confronting external interference, extremism and terrorism, while working diligently to strengthen and deepen joint cooperation in the light of continuous coordination, cooperation and consultation between the two countries.
The strength and strength of the Saudi-UAE relations reflect the convergence of visions and objectives, and the clear harmony between the two countries and peoples.
This rapprochement is reinforced by the establishment of the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council, which was announced in Jeddah five years ago, and which did not come from a vacuum, but based on common foundations and ties between the two countries and their peoples.
The relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have gone a long way towards laying the foundations of strategic cooperation in various fields and fields, thanks to the identical visions to address many issues facing the region regionally and internationally, as well as their active role at the level of the GCC system in promoting Gulf unity, facing the challenges facing this unity and continuing to strengthen its ties.
The idea of the Coordination Council embodies the joint ties between the two countries and the keenness to strengthen and strengthen them, especially as the two countries translate the strategic project complementary to joint Arab action, in light of the qualitative transformation to maintain stability and face challenges in the region, within the framework of a strong and coherent alliance. Qin, and supports the process of joint Gulf action.
These strong and strategic relations between the UAE and the Kingdom are based on solid foundations of brotherhood, visions, attitudes and consistent orientations towards the issues of the region and the world.
It aims at supporting and promoting common interests and represents a fundamental pillar of Arab national security and the security and stability system in the region as a whole, especially with the wise, moderate and clear attitudes of the two countries' policies, whether at the regional or global level, in the face of extremism, intolerance and terrorism, and encouraging the promotion of dialogue among civilizations and the culture of different religions.
May Allah protect the Kingdom of goodness, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, the leadership and the people, and keep its feasts, its joys and its glory always and forever by His permission.
* Emirati Writer
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To lessen reliance on oil.
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Since becoming crown prince in 2017, he has driven sweeping economic and social reforms, including allowing women to drive and enter sports stadiums, and reopening cinemas as part of a broader modernization agenda. [8][10].

Title:

Content: (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia’s decades-long ban on cinemas only ended in 2018, but the desert kingdom already has Hollywood ambitions.

It’s investing $64 billion in its nascent entertainment industry as part of a broader effort to wean the economy off oil and transform itself into the Middle East’s premier movie hub.

The action flick ‘Desert Warrior’, starring Anthony Mackie (Marvel’s new Captain America), is being filmed entirely in Saudi Arabia, and Gerard Butler’s latest thriller ‘Kandahar’ is starting principal photography in the Al-Ula region this month -- a first for the UNESCO World Heritage Site opened last year as part of Saudi Arabia’s related push to introduce tourism.

“We’ve started from the beginning, no one was here before, and we have high ambitions to build up Al-Ula as an international film destination,“ said Stephen Strachan, film commissioner for the unspoilt region that boasts majestic pre-Islamic ruins neglected under decades of religious rule.

Saudi Arabia to Allow Cinemas, Ending Ban Imposed in 1980s

It’s a remarkable turnaround for Saudi Arabia, where only a few years ago women were prohibited from driving, restaurants were gender-segregated and most forms of entertainment, from music concerts to film screenings were banned as un-Islamic. Since taking day-to-day control in 2017, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has loosened social restrictions and introduced the annual Riyadh Season extravaganza of concerts and events.

But there’s another side to the transformation; Prince Mohammed has jailed dissidents, silenced critics and is accused by the U.S. of ordering the murder of critical Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a charge Saudi Arabia denies.

Like the social media influencers that came before them, Hollywood stars arriving to shoot potential blockbusters are a coup for the government’s effort to rehabilitate its image, but could draw criticism from rights campaigners who say the glamor glosses over that darker political underbelly.

Saudi Arabia Is Using Instagram Influencers to Improve Its Image

“I think people have the wrong impression of Saudi sometimes. It’s very much modernizing,” said Strachan. “Hollywood is looking to see what happens with ‘Kandahar’. People are interested in the cultural transformation in Saudi. ”

‘Kandahar’ is co-financed by Saudi-owned TV giant MBC, alongside Santa Monica, California-based Thunder Road. The film is set to feature Gerard Butler as an undercover CIA operative working in Afghanistan who has to fight his way out of hostile territory.“I liked the script, and Gerard Butler is a classic name,” said Peter Smith, head of MBC Studios. Smith was previously president of NBCUniversal International, and moved to MBC in 2018 to boost output in Saudi Arabia and the region.

Netflix sees opportunity as well. The streaming giant has signed an eight feature film deal with Saudi studio Telfaz11, as it looks to increase Middle East content.

But the kingdom faces stiff competition.

Morocco and Jordan have long served as desert locations, with Wadi Rum doubling as Mars in 2015 sci-fi film ‘The Martian’ and alien landscapes in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’

Saudi Arabia will also be competing with the neighboring United Arab Emirates, which has provided the backdrop to blockbusters like ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.’Some film industry insiders also complain of problems obtaining visas or getting equipment through the airport, and decades without movies means its harder to source local talent than it is in Arab countries with more experience.As part of the push, the kingdom is launching its first international film festival.

The Red Sea Festival begins in December in the historic coastal city of Jeddah. The chairman is Saudi producer Mohammed Al Turki, who’s worked on films including the 2012 crime drama ‘Arbitrage’, starring Richard Gere.

Al Turki has been touring major festivals like Cannes, where Red Sea sponsored the amfAR Gala for AIDS research, with industry royalty like Spike Lee in attendance.

At the Venice Film Festival, Red Sea threw a women in film event that attracted stars like Demi Moore and Kate Hudson.

“We want to be the region’s destination for filming, and the creativity and potential here is immense,” said Al Turki.It’s personal for the 35-year-old. He left Saudi Arabia around a decade ago to become a film producer in the U.S., and remembers having to bring VHS tapes to his home or travel to neighboring Bahrain to visit the cinema. Now, he’s back to organize a homegrown film festival.

“People will be surprised by the festival and talent in Saudi,” he said. “We’re making this happen.”

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

attend sporting events
Women gained permission to drive

Vision 2030 has delivered strong macroeconomic momentum, with Saudi Arabia posting 8.7% real GDP growth in 2022, the fastest in the G20, alongside 4.8% non-oil GDP growth.

Title:

Content: Wednesday, 27 December 2023 11: 15 GMT
Crown Prince: The Kingdom is moving forward in its development renaissance - Al-Watan Newspaper Saudi Arabia
(MENAFN- Al Watan) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman confirmed on Wednesday at the opening of the fourth year of the Shura Council in its eighth session that Saudi Arabia is "continuing its vision of development 2030, which will contribute to maintaining its advanced position globally, achieving more development and prosperity and providing a decent life for citizens."
During his speech, Prince Mohammed bin Salman pointed out that the Kingdom has achieved advanced positions in many areas, including progress in more than 50% of the United Nations Sustainable Development Indicators.
He explained that the Saudi economy has developed to be the fastest growing, at the level of the G20 countries in 2022, with a growth rate of 8.7% in GDP, as well as growth in non-oil GDP by about 4.8%, and access among the 20 most competitive countries in the world.
In the field of tourism, Saudi Arabia achieved “a historic performance in the first quarter of 2023, with a growth rate of 64%, ” and the Crown Prince stressed that the Kingdom“ will continue to work on the path of economic transformation in accordance with the goals of (Vision 2030). ”
Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that “the positive results achieved herald more successes to achieve economic reforms and strengthen the financial position of the Kingdom to enhance the overall economic growth of our country. ”
Regarding the Hajj rituals, the Crown Prince explained in his speech that the Kingdom welcomed more than 1.8 million pilgrims and more than 10 million pilgrims during the past year.
The Crown Prince pointed out that the Kingdom hosted a number of major summits that brought together more than 100 countries last year, pointing out that “based on the Kingdom ’ s position at the regional and international levels, and its influential presence at all levels, the Kingdom has worked to strengthen its constructive relations with brotherly and friendly countries. ”
MENAFN27122023000089011017ID1107662424
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To lessen reliance on oil.
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Private sector activity expanded by 5.3% in 2022 and the unemployment rate fell to 8%, reflecting broad-based gains beyond the oil sector.

Title:

Content: Record progress of the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 achievements during 2022
Abdulhamid Al-Omari
Posted in: Last Updated:
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The annual report of Vision 2030 for 2022 reaffirmed the progress and achievements of the Saudi economy since the implementation of the executive programs and promising initiatives, the most important contribution in the long term was the establishment of a solid base for the economy, which resulted in the creation of an economy capable of achieving sustainable growth with more independence from oil, at the same time giving it greater resilience in the face of unfavorable changes that have hit the global economy several times. Among these achievements, the national economy managed to achieve many interim achievements at record rates, most notably achieving the highest real growth rate of the economy since 2011 by 8.7% at the end of last year, including real growth of the private sector by 5.3%, despite the unfavorable conditions witnessed by the global economy during the past year, which resulted from geopolitical turmoil in Europe. At the level of international trade and markets of all kinds, in addition to the unprecedented shifts in the policies and procedures of central banks, which began at the end of the first quarter of last year, to face the large increases in global inflation rates and the highest since more than four decades ago, the national economy showed remarkable strength and stability at the level of all economies around the world, and at the level of the economies of the G20 countries.
The national economy was able to reduce the unemployment rate during the same year from 11.0% by the end of 2021 to 8%, the lowest unemployment rate since the official publication of unemployment data. The number of national workers in the private sector jumped to a historic high of about 2.2 million citizens, registering a growth rate of 14.2% for nationalization of jobs in the private sector by the end of last year. Last year, the Emiratization rate reached 23.3% by the end of the period, and the participation rate of women in the local labor market increased to 34.5%, exceeding the target rates at the end of the total life of the strategic vision by 2030.
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At the level of public finances, fiscal programs and initiatives succeeded in achieving the budget for its first fiscal surplus after eight consecutive fiscal years of deficit of about 103.9 billion riyals (2.5% of GDP), while the country ’ s public finances maintained its contribution to enhancing economic stability locally, with total public expenditures contributing about 28% of GDP (1.2 trillion riyals). In the long term, it contributes to the strengthening and development of the country ’ s infrastructure, which is of paramount importance for the success and progress of dozens of programs and other qualitative initiatives aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the national economy at all levels, and giving it more opportunities for diversification and progress leading to attracting more investments locally and internationally in promising local investment opportunities. One of the most important aspects is the ability of the private sector to grow and expand, and create more tens of thousands of decent jobs for citizens.
The annual report of the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 in 2022 stressed the progress of many performance indicators related to the objectives of the Vision, and that the process of implementation is proceeding confidently in the path of its final goals, thanks to God, and thanks to the supervision and direct follow-up by the wise leadership, which has harnessed the full resources and capabilities necessary for these giant development goals. Achieving the necessary success of their tasks and responsibilities, and reaching very high levels of competitiveness among various agencies and sectors in order to achieve record achievements. Not only did the employees of these executive bodies achieve the required tasks, but their legitimate aspirations led them to achieve the precedence and competition to exceed even the interim targets. This is one of the most important pillars of the strength of the blessed vision, which pushed with determination and balance to its race against time, to progress the capabilities of the national economy and society to the highest levels, which reflects the position it enjoys in the balance of the global economy, and puts it deservedly in its leading position globally, and also qualifies it to rise in the global economic ladder. More achievements and gains due and appropriate to the privileges, potentials, resources and economic and investment opportunities of our country, thanks to God, are very promising.
* Reported from Economic Journal *
Disclaimer: All published articles represent the opinion of their authors only.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

Economic reforms boosted non-oil revenues and produced a budget surplus in 2023, while enhancing transparency, efficient spending, and investment inflows. [6].

Title:

Content: The Saudi economy.
Empowerment and sustainability
|
In order to develop and diversify the economy, renew its effective tools and reduce dependence on oil, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched "Vision 2030" based on several economic and financial reforms, which aimed to transform the structure of the Saudi economy into a diversified and sustainable economy based on enhancing productivity, raising the contribution of the private sector, and empowering the third sector.
During its modern era, the Saudi economy has witnessed a diversified growth in many sectors, taking advantage of the Kingdom ’ s natural resources and its distinctive geographical and cultural location.
This growth has built a solid economic base, becoming one of the top 20 global economies and an active member of the G20, and one of the key players in the global economy and oil markets, supported by a strong financial system, an efficient and stable banking sector, and giant government companies based on qualified national cadres.
Over the past years, the Kingdom has also witnessed structural reforms on the economic and financial side, which promotes raising economic growth rates while maintaining financial stability and sustainability.
This is evident in the improvement of the business environment in the country, the continuous endeavor to enable the private sector to support economic diversification by improving the business environment and overcoming obstacles to make it more attractive, in addition to investing in previously untapped sectors, as well as improving the investment environment and increasing its attractiveness to local and foreign investors.
In this context, the Cabinet renewed its determination to continue implementing economic initiatives and reforms to achieve the objectives of Vision 2030. The financial indicators for the first quarter of this year came in accordance with all plans set before, and confirms the strength of the public finances and its ability to implement its obligations on time. In the first quarter of this year, which exceeds the forecast of average revenues estimated in each quarter by 261.25 billion riyals, "General revenues were estimated at 1045 billion riyals," which means that revenues have increased by 6.41% from the estimate, compared to that 220.5 billion riyals were spent in the first quarter of this year, while the estimated for each quarter at an average of 238.75 billion riyals. During the first quarter of the estimated average of 7.64 percent, all of which resulted in a surplus in public finances of 57.5 billion riyals during the first quarter of this year, and the budget of 2022 was estimated to have a surplus for the fiscal year as a whole of 90 billion riyals.
There is no doubt that the figures speak for themselves, these indicators that indicate the strength of public finances were not only the result of the rise in oil prices, but also the interaction of the data of the new Saudi economic equation diversified, oil is an important factor but not absolutely, and the performance of public finances on non-oil revenues has improved strongly and continuously during the recent indicators. The vision, with all the details of its programs and initiatives, is the most appropriate model for the Saudi reality so far.
Since the launch of the vision, the Kingdom has succeeded in implementing several supporting initiatives and structural reforms to enable economic transformation. This transformation included several major efforts focused on a sectoral dimension, including enhancing local content and national industry, launching and developing promising economic sectors, and an enabling dimension aimed at maximizing the role of the private sector and SMEs, and enhancing the sustainability of public finances.
These structural shifts have contributed to the Kingdom ’ s economy ’ s ability to steadily weather the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The pace of this structural transformation towards sustainable economic growth is expected to continue in the coming years, especially in light of a number of investment and giant initiatives, under the umbrella of the Public Investment Fund and leading companies.
It is also expected that the pace of localization of knowledge and innovative technologies will accelerate.
Since the collapse of oil prices in 2015, the Kingdom did not stand idly by in front of the reality of the oil market, but contributed under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and great efforts and supervision and follow-up of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in re-engineering the market and its governance to get back on its feet quickly and overcome the crisis. The market is even on the most difficult days, such as during the health crisis and the war crisis in Ukraine.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia has worked on an economic reform model from within that focuses on issues that play an important role in long-term growth, such as human capital development, knowledge economy, research and development, and innovation, while recognizing the importance of saving and capital accumulation. I came out of the pandemic with record growth.
It should be noted here that the preliminary statement of the Ministry of Finance on the 2022 budget said that the non-oil sector has grown by 8.4%, and is the best since the second quarter of 2011 (i.e.: within ten years) - the private sector grew 11.1%, and the government sector 2.3% during the second quarter of 2021 on an annual basis.
Non-oil revenues also managed to achieve significant growth, reaching in 2020 about 369 billion riyals, while they did not exceed 127 billion in 2014.
This march of economic reforms came with full commitment to achieve the vision plans, the most important of which is the program of the Public Investment Fund, which jumped from 570 billion in 2015 to more than 1.8 trillion by the end of 2021, and gross contribution to GDP 8%, with the development of human capital with more than 365 thousand jobs. The Council of Ministers, headed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and in the presence of the Crown Prince and continuing to implement economic initiatives and reforms, has a clear message to move forward in the hard work that has put its daughters in the first phase of the vision of a sustainable Saudi renaissance.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The National Investment Strategy plans to inject 12 trillion riyals into the economy, complemented by government spending of 10 trillion riyals and Public Investment Fund (PIF) spending of 3 trillion riyals through 2030, for total inflows estimated at 27 trillion riyals.

Title:

Content: stages of 2030.
Diversity and Achievements
|
The annual speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz in the Shura Council was comprehensive and familiar with all local, regional and global issues and challenges.
In this speech, King Salman stressed that economic reforms aim to foresee the future and prepare for it early before crises occur, and that the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 comes in this context with the aim of raising the performance of state institutions for a better tomorrow, and to achieve a decent life for the sons and daughters of the country.
The Vision programs and initiatives were launched under various challenges, including the dependence of the Saudi economy on the oil resource as the main source of financing public finances, the weakness of economic diversification that is supposed to give the public budget flexibility in the face of price shocks to the oil market, in addition to the fact that the percentage of housing ownership did not exceed 46%, with the age of legislative structures in general.
The first five years of the Vision went ahead with its expected challenges and surprises. The spread of the Corona virus appeared, causing a decline in global growth, and the decline in oil demand at the beginning of the health crisis, in a way that the world has never seen before, but under the wise guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the follow-up and supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Achieve all the objectives of the first phase of the "vision", and overcome the health crisis with the least human and economic damage, unlike what has been witnessed in many countries of the world.
Yesterday, under the dome of the Shura Council, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, pointed to the start of the second phase of the Saudi Vision 2030, by pushing the wheel of achievement and continuing reforms to prosper the nation and ensure the future of its people by creating a solid and diversified economy that faces global changes.
The launch of the "Vision" comes in its second phase after Saudi Arabia was able to achieve a qualitative leap in important issues such as: the development of non-oil revenues and the liberalization of the economy from dependence on oil prices, as reflected in the estimated budget for 2022, which announced a few days ago a budget surplus for the first time in seven years. vision ".
This year ’ s annual royal address, the Crown Prince has blessed many forward-looking projects that support their systems, sustainability, prosperity, innovation and business leadership, creating jobs and generating huge returns to GDP.
The National Investment Strategy, launched on October 11, carries within it the most important projects to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, through which more than 12 trillion riyals will be injected into the local economy until 2030, along with plans for government spending through the state budget of ten trillion riyals, and another three trillion riyals by the Public Investment Fund, according to its strategic plan to support the national economy. Creating more jobs for women and citizens, and spending more than 5 trillion in consumer spending, so the Saudi economy promises inflows of up to 27 trillion riyals until 2030.
The next five years will be full of many major strategic projects in all regions, and will take society in all its components to a new era of prosperity, development and diversity.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques affirmed the steadfastness of the Saudi position on all issues, whether in Palestine, Yemen, Lebanon or Iraq, as Saudi Arabia does not accept extremism and terrorism, strongly rejects the presence of terrorist militias in any Arab country, and calls and extends its white hands to support peace and stability.
The speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques drew the dimensions of Saudi policy, its clear approach, and sincerely expressed the authentic values followed by the state in dealing with all political, economic, and social issues.
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The PIF underpins giga-projects such as NEOM and the Red Sea development, targets SAR 4 trillion in assets by 2025, and received 4% of Aramco shares to support diversification.

Title:

Content: The investment fund.
Renewed economic prospects
|
Last week, the wise government took a bold positive step by transferring 4 percent of Saudi Aramco ’ s shares to the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
This brilliant economic process supported the financial position of the Fund, and at the same time did not affect the position of the Saudi government in the company, but the government remained the largest shareholder in the management of the company and directed towards projects aimed at supporting the restructuring of the national economy and diversifying its sources while taking care not to rely on a single resource.
If we analyze economically the announcement of the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to transfer 4% of the shares of Saudi Arabian Oil Company "Saudi Aramco" to the Public Investment Fund, we note the positives in all economic aspects resulting from the implementation of this trend. Saudi Arabia.
The transfer of these shares is part of the Kingdom ’ s long-term strategy to support the restructuring of the national economy, in line with the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, and supports the Fund ’ s plans to increase its assets under management to approximately SAR 4 trillion by the end of 2025. Its financing plan is based on the value of the assets and the investment returns of the assets under management.
In this new plan, the Fund continues to implement its strategy by maximizing its assets, launching new sectors, building strategic economic partnerships, and localizing technologies and knowledge. By the end of 2025, the Fund aims to inject up to 1 trillion riyals into new projects locally, increasing its contribution and its subsidiaries in local content to 60 per cent, and creating more direct and indirect jobs in the local labor market.
The government is continuing to implement its initiatives to complement the economic and financial reforms that have been implemented, move forward with the implementation of economic transformation plans, and provide more investment opportunities for development funds and the private sector, which is receiving great attention from the government to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030.
It is noteworthy that on January 24, 2021, the Crown Prince launched the new strategy of the Fund, which aims to raise the quality of life and achieve development, where it included five direct objectives, the most important of which are to maximize the assets of the Fund, launch new sectors, build economic partnerships, and localize technologies and knowledge.
In light of these objectives, the Fund has recently played an important role in the implementation of quality of life programs in different areas of the Kingdom, and contributed to the project of removing slums and planning the construction of modern and smart areas.
Through the implementation of the removal of slums, especially in the eastern region and in the Makkah region, the Fund played a major role in beautifying the city of Jeddah, and stabilizing the pillars of security and stability in those areas, which will enjoy the quality of life, and spread happiness and happiness in all people.
In terms of economic and development, the PIF program seeks to enhance the economic and investment sustainability of the Kingdom through the design and development of projects launching promising local sectors, the development of major economic projects, as well as the expansion and diversification of the Fund ’ s local and global assets.
On the other hand, the Fund has already carried out the projects of NEOM, Qiddiya, King Salman Tower, which is located in North Obhur, and will be the tallest tower in the world, and the Red Sea project, one of the major projects that will change the face of life in the Kingdom, and these projects will make tourism one of the most important resources of the national economy.
It is clear that the Fund will be the prime mover for projects to diversify sources of national income.
In the face of these mega projects, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) will be a key partner in inclusive development. It is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. The Fund is working to establish economic partnerships that will deepen the Kingdom ’ s role in the global economy. He could even retain the gains that made him one of the most successful sovereign funds in the world.
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How does Vision 2030 aim to foster new industries and employment?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To lessen reliance on oil.
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

Saudi Arabia has committed roughly $1.25 trillion to real estate and infrastructure, underlining the scale of transformation under way.

Title:

Content: Saudi Crown Prince: We are preparing to announce Vision 2040
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced in an interview with Fox News that the kingdom is preparing to announce Vision 2040 with the aim of diversifying the economy away from oil, noting that this “will be in 2027 or 2028. ”
In 2016, the Saudi crown prince launched the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030.
The total value of real estate and infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia, launched since the vision was announced, has exceeded $1.25 trillion, while the value of projects that have been approved has reached $250 billion, according to a recent report.
The Saudi crown prince said Saudi Arabia was one of the fastest growing countries in the G20, “and we are competing with India in terms of rapid growth rates. ”
Saudi Arabia achieved the highest growth rate among the G20 countries last year, with its economy growing 8.7 percent, the highest since 2011.
On the other hand, Prince Mohammed bin Salman pointed out that the United States was “planning to sign a joint infrastructure plan with India, countries in the Middle East and the European Union, with the aim of linking them through a network of railways and sea routes, ” adding that Washington was quietly working on the project with India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with the aim of linking the Middle East countries by rail, and India through shipping lines from the region ’ s ports to Europe.
On the sidelines of the G20 summit in India this month, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding on an economic corridor project linking India, the Middle East and Europe.
The Kingdom and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a protocol that will contribute to the establishment of transcontinental green corridors to enhance energy security and clean energy development efforts, facilitate the transfer of renewable electricity and clean hydrogen through cables and pipelines, as well as the construction of railways, trade, and increase the passage of goods through rail and port connections.
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

Diversify the economy from oil
modernize infrastructure

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

A National Strategy for Industry prioritizes 12 subsectors, identifies more than 800 investment opportunities worth about SR1 trillion, aims to triple industrial domestic product by 2030, and targets a sixfold increase in advanced-tech exports with tens of thousands of quality jobs.

Title:

Content: JEDDAH — Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman launched on Tuesday the National Strategy for Industry to realize the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.

The strategy focuses on 12 sub-sectors to diversify the Kingdom’s industrial economy while identifying more than 800 investment opportunities worth SR1 trillion.

“Through this strategy and in partnership with the private sector, Saudi Arabia will become a leading industrial power that contributes to securing global supply chains, and exporting high-tech products to the world,” the Crown Prince, who is also chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, said while unveiling the new strategy.

“We have all the possibilities to reach a competitive and sustainable industrial economy, thanks to the ambitious young talents; distinguished geographical location; rich natural resources, and leading national industrial companies,” he said.

The strategy aims to accomplish an industrial economy that attracts investments, which contributes to achieving economic diversification, and developing the domestic product and non-oil exports, in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.

The National Strategy for Industry focuses on 12 sub-sectors to diversify the Kingdom’s industrial economy while identifying more than 800 investment opportunities worth SR1 trillion to constitute a new chapter of sustainable growth for the sector in order to achieve ambitious economic returns for the Kingdom by 2030. These returns include doubling the industrial domestic product by three times and doubling the value of industrial exports to reach SR557 billion.

The strategy is also working to bring the total value of additional investments in the sector to SR1.3 trillion, and to increase exports of advanced technology products by about six times, in addition to creating tens of thousands of quality jobs of high value.

The industrial sector is one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030, and it receives great attention from wise leadership. The National Industrial Development and Logistics Program was launched and an independent ministry was established to take care of the sector. In addition to this, a number of programs were introduced and several entities were established.

All these have resulted in doubling the number of industrial establishments, which did not exceed 7,206 factories within 42 years. Their number jumped by more than 50 percent after the launch of Vision 2030, reaching 10,640 industrial facilities in 2022. The strategy will drive growth in the sector, bringing the number of factories to about 36,000 factories by 2035.

Through the strategy, Saudi Arabia aspires to empower the private sector, as well as to increase the flexibility and competitiveness of the industrial sector, which guarantees continuity of access to important commodities for the welfare of citizens and achieve global leadership in a group of selected commodities, by investing in promising new technologies.

To achieve these ambitious national goals, a governance model for the industrial sector was developed through the formation of the Supreme Committee for Industry, headed by the Crown Prince, to supervise the development of the sector, in addition to the formation of the Industrial Council with the participation of the private sector in order to ensure the participation of industrial investors in decision-making and policy development.

The Kingdom’s industrial sector is based on solid industrial foundations and successes built over 50 years, as it contributed to adding more than SR340 billion to the gross domestic product, and provided many quality jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities in various industrial fields.

The Kingdom also enjoys the presence of leading national industrial companies, which have contributed to placing the Saudi industry in the ranks of advanced industries regionally and globally, as the Kingdom is today the fourth largest manufacturer of petrochemical products in the world, while its industrial outputs contribute to supplying global supply and manufacturing chains, which are involved in the production of many of industries.

The launch of the strategy is in line with global trends in the sector, such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Kingdom’s objectives and the competitive advantages represented by its geographical location, an abundance of natural resources and energy sources, human capabilities, purchasing power, and stable monetary policies, it was pointed out.

© Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

To drive development in high-tech
To drive development in manufacturing

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Tourism is a pillar of diversification, with a 64% surge in Q1 2023, a target of 30 million foreign tourists by 2030, and an ambition to reach 150 million total visitors by 2030. [7][8].

Title:

Content: RIYADH — Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman highlighted the remarkable achievements made by Saudi Arabia ever since the launch of its Vision 2030 and the government’s relentless efforts to implement structural reforms in the financial and economic sectors. The Crown Prince, who is also chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, said this in a statement issued on the occasion of the approval of the state’s general budget for the fiscal year 2024 by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman underscored that the Kingdom is witnessing sustainable economic growth in light of the great development capabilities and opportunities that the Kingdom enjoys within the framework of the Vision 2030 to enable it to move forward towards a better future worthy of its status in accordance with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. “This produced a clear and prominent impact on the growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of non-oil sectors.”

The Crown Prince affirmed the commitment made by the government in the budget for the fiscal year 2024 so as to enhance economic growth through the expansion of government spending. “The budget figures announced by King Salman come supportive and enabling many programs and initiatives. These include investments to strengthen infrastructure, raise the quality of services provided to citizens, expatriates and visitors, in addition to developing promising economic sectors, enhancing investment attraction, stimulating industries, and raising the proportion of local content and non-oil Saudi exports,” he said while praising the effective and important role of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the National Development Fund.

The Crown Prince emphasized that work would continue to develop the Kingdom’s public financial performance, by increasing financial capacity and building government reserves, in a way that enhances the capacity of the Kingdom’s economy, maintains sustainable levels of public debt, and enables it to confront any developments or crises that may arise in the future. “The increase in spending is mainly due to the government’s keenness to continue developing the level of public services provided to citizens, expatriates and visitors, as well as to implement many projects and expand spending on sectoral and regional development strategies that would achieve positive structural changes, leading to expanding and diversifying the economic base,” he said.

The Crown Prince stressed the government’s keenness on developing and strengthening partnership with the private sector so as to enable and motivate it to play its major role in achieving economic diversification, as far as to enable the labor market to absorb more of the Saudi workforce, create job opportunities in the labor market and reduce unemployment rates among Saudis. “The total number of Saudis in the labor market this year jumped to 2.3 million, in addition to improving the investment environment to be an attractive environment that contributes to raising the proportion of domestic and foreign investment, developing non-oil exports and improving the non-oil trade balance of payments,” he said.

The Crown Prince emphasized that the journey of economic diversification continues through supporting promising sectors, as the Kingdom works to raise tourism targets to 150 million visitors internally and externally by 2030 in addition to building an effective sports sector through the “Investment and Privatization Project for Sports Clubs,” in order to achieve the goals of the Vision 2030 in the sports sector, as these sectors are witnessing rapid growth and providing diverse opportunities.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated the Kingdom’s determination to develop its industrial sector, as it is one of the most important vital sectors in the Saudi economy, by diversifying the industrial base and value chains through the “National Strategy for Industry'', which focuses on 12 sub-sectors to diversify the industrial economy and raise the industrial domestic product by around three times compared to the year 2020, reaching SR895 billion in 2030 to be a major contributor to the development of non-oil exports. This is in integration with the important role of the PIF as it is the investment arm that contributes and complements the efforts undertaken by the government in diversifying the economy, and the pivotal role of the National Development Fund and its affiliated funds in providing concessional financing to the private sector, he pointed out.

Speaking about the pivotal and leadership role of the Kingdom, the Crown Prince stressed the Kingdom’s role regionally and internationally, and its endeavor to ensure that the countries of the world enjoy security and stability, as they are the main factors for development and prosperity, and its keenness to develop and stabilize supply and value chains in a way that serves the development and economic prosperity of all countries of the world.

The Crown Prince stressed the Kingdom’s determination to continue the development momentum during the coming year and in the medium and long term with boosting the attractiveness of the Kingdom’s economy as a base for local and foreign investments besides diversifying the economy through the development of all economic sectors.

© Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

Saudi Arabia also lifted its cinema ban and earmarked $64 billion for entertainment, signaling a new focus on leisure industries to broaden the economy.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To lessen reliance on oil.
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Digital transformation and the knowledge economy are central priorities, with the digital economy expected to contribute 19.20% of GDP by 2025.

Title:

Content: Promising opportunities and special programs.
How Saudi Arabia has prepared its citizens for a post-oil future
An ambitious strategy that has resulted in qualitative growth that enhances the opportunities of national companies and plans to diversify sources of income
On the road to building a digitally driven economy, the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 was present with unique goals to drive Saudi Arabia ’ s national transformation program and to prepare young people intellectually and practically for the post-oil era.
That strategy paid off quickly, with qualitative growth achieved by the Saudi economy, not as a result of high oil prices, but through the non-oil sector, which is expanding horizontally and vertically, through a program that promotes the growth opportunities of national companies, and plans to diversify the Kingdom ’ s sources of income.
Innovation Opportunities
While the Saudi economy is undergoing national transformations that did not previously exist, these transformations have generated opportunities for innovation in commercial and investment activities, which have been widely accepted and popular by Saudi youth, due to low risks in light of dependence on a diversified economy, which was not followed in the past.
From the womb of the new Saudi strategy, new sectors and tremendous opportunities were born for young people in trade and industry, from tourism and entertainment to logistics, technology, artificial intelligence and digital services, encouraging many of them to engage in those fields, some of which were previously restricted to non-Saudis.
Saudi youth have overcome the familiar barrier in professions and jobs; their fingerprints have become clear in all social, political and economic fields, and various sectors of development; it has become the backbone of those professions, within the framework of the Saudi strategy to localize these jobs, and push its children to fill them.
Breaking the Fashionable Barrier
From cooking, working in hotels to shops to opening workshops for mechanics and other crafts, young Saudis have broken the bounds of convention and taken roads paved by the kingdom, which is undergoing what has been described as a “revolutionary ” transformation as it seeks to get rid of the oil grip on the economy by diversifying its sources of income.
How did Saudi Arabia prepare its citizens for this step?
Saudi Arabia has set itself the goal of being a global hub of events, forming an alliance by Informa and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones to help diversify the kingdom ’ s economy.
Saudi Arabia has taken impressive steps to improve its business environment, attract foreign investment, and reduce its dependence on oil, noting that to achieve these ambitions, the Kingdom has realized the value of international events to build strategically important industries within the country.
Important Alliances
An alliance of Informa ’ s global expertise will create a world-class events sector to increase economic diversification, provide access to new markets for international companies, attract foreign investment and support the modernization of business activity in the Kingdom.
The alliance will also support the creation of new career paths for the Kingdom ’ s talented and digitally savvy youth, not only in events but also in the wider creative and digital economies, from communications and branding to digital marketing and digital product development.
The Alliance Academy will provide an annual group of young Saudi professionals with the opportunity to gain practical training and experience in international events, through a series of rotations, and make greater use of an industry-recognized professional accreditation program.
Michael Champion, Regional Executive Vice President, Informa, said: “Our events and local operations will support new job creation, knowledge sharing and professional development in the region.
Faisal Al Khamisi, Chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, said the alliance will create job opportunities for Saudi youth in dynamic and professional sectors, and will also contribute to the diversification and general modernization of key industries in Saudi Arabia.
Booming Event Industry
Saudi Arabia has realized that its burgeoning events industry will create new jobs for the country ’ s digitally savvy youth — not just in events, but also in broader creative economies, ranging from communications and branding to digital marketing and digital product development.
Alliance-run events are expected to attract around 500,000 visitors a year by 2028, employing nearly 200 professionals in the next five years.
National Transformation Program
Saudi efforts were not limited to concluding agreements with external alliances; they were consistent with the objectives of the National Transformation Program, including developing the necessary infrastructure, creating an enabling environment for the public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, focusing on achieving excellence in government performance, supporting digital transformation, contributing to private sector development, developing economic partnerships, promoting community development, and ensuring the sustainability of vital resources.
According to the official website of Vision 2030, the National Transformation Program (NTP), which was launched in 2016 to achieve excellence in government performance and establish the necessary infrastructure to improve economic empowerment factors and raise the standard of living, contributed during the previous phase to achieve many important and influential achievements in developing government systems, improving services provided to citizens, providing job opportunities for Saudi youth in non-oil sectors, facilitating business, expanding digital transformation and technology solutions. Their participation in the labor force, as well as the development of the non-profit sector, and the development of the tourism sector.
Infrastructure
In the next phase, the program seeks to complete the work to develop the necessary infrastructure, enhance community development, ensure the sustainability of vital resources, achieve excellence in government performance, support digital transformation, and increase the attractiveness of the labor market, to create an enabling environment for the public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030.
Top Targets by the End of 2025
The program aims for the digital economy to contribute 19.20% of GDP by 2025, in addition to bringing the level of maturity of the transformation of key government services digitally to 92%, and raising the volume of foreign direct investment flows to 95.4 billion riyals in the same period.
Did he make achievements?
According to the Vision 2030 website, the Kingdom has managed to rank first in the most advanced countries in digital competitiveness among the G20 countries, in addition to the economic participation rate of Saudi females and access increased to 35.6%.
Why are the expectations optimistic?
Saudi writer Dr. Salah bin Fahd al-Shalhoub says in an article that the high rate of growth in the Kingdom in the coming phase may be mainly caused by structural reforms in the current phase of the economy, including the phase of transformation and privatization of a group of government units, to be part of the private sector.
Al-Chalhoub pointed out that one of the steps that achieved great success during the past period in the Kingdom is to support the private sector to enhance the growth of GDP from the non-oil sector, which will achieve great results during the coming period as a result of the growth of companies and quality programs.
He pointed out that the challenges to reach a diversified economy with high efficiency and competitiveness; it is important to build competencies to work in various and diverse activities with high efficiency, and to be leaders in the next phase to increase the competitiveness of the Kingdom's attractiveness for investment from different countries of the world.
In a second article entitled "Indicators of Development Opportunities in the Saudi Economy", Al-Shalhoub said that the opportunities in the Saudi economy are diverse and will increase in light of the integration of development projects that are being worked on, leading to new and diversified opportunities for investors.
He pointed out that young people have a great opportunity in various economic activities, stressing the need to work on a range of programs to support thinking more comprehensively for young people in the search for opportunities in the sectors of trade, industry, tourism, entertainment, logistics, technology, artificial intelligence and digital services.
He also stressed the need for entrepreneurship to be a course in the educational stages directly at the university level and professional and applied programs, and included in the curricula in schools within the educational and training examples and extra-curricular activities.
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How has Saudi Arabia diversified its economy under Vision 2030?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

The private sector’s contribution to GDP stands at 45% with a Vision 2030 target of 65% by the decade’s end.

Title:

Content: Advertisement
Economics.
From reformation to fruiting.
Saudi Arabia completes "Vision 2030" at a steady pace
25-04-2024 | 15: 13
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A report monitoring the performance of the "Vision 2030" revealed that the plan to make a qualitative shift in the Saudi economy was able in its "middle of life" to achieve progress with most of its indicators set for the past year, while other key targets faced headwinds.
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The report pointed out that the government has developed a number of indicators to guide them towards the "right path", such as the index of calculating foreign investments, and one of its first effects was a downward adjustment on the total balance of direct investment by about 225 billion riyals, while foreign direct investment flows last year more than quadrupled from 8 to 33 billion dollars.
According to the report, 176 indicators out of 243 exceeded the expectations of 2023, 105 of which exceeded the targets of this year and next.
The ambitions of the "second phase" of the vision, according to the report issued on Thursday, are to develop promising and new sectors, support local content, engage the private sector, increase the effectiveness of implementation, facilitate the business environment and attract investment.
The most prominent successes that Saudi Arabia has been able to achieve in the framework of the indicators are the achievement of the private sector ’ s contribution to the GDP 45%, keeping pace with the target for the year, while the Kingdom is looking forward to reaching this percentage to 65% by the end of the vision period.
Another key differentiator is the labour market.
Out of six indicators, the Kingdom managed to achieve 2023 estimates in three of them, while achieving the vision targets prematurely in terms of unemployment levels among Saudis and women ’ s participation in the labor market.
The rate of women ’ s participation in the labour market over the past year has significantly exceeded the government ’ s target of 30% to 34%.
Saudi Arabia also recorded the lowest level of unemployment among Saudis ever, at 7.7%.
On the other hand, some indicators are lagging behind in achieving the 2023 targets, while the report noted that they are "subject to corrective measures to advance them towards achieving their targets."
(Bloomberg)
Source: Bloomberg
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What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To attract capital and technology, Saudi Arabia targets $100 billion in annual FDI by 2030, though clarity on regulations and investor perceptions remain hurdles.

Title:

Content: (Bloomberg) -- It’s only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia starts attracting more foreign direct investment to support Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic diversification drive, according to boutique firm deNovo Partners.

The lack of meaningful FDI so far isn’t “something that will be there forever,” said May Nasrallah, a former Morgan Stanley banker who founded the Dubai-based advisory and serves as its executive chairwoman.

Changes in regulation and clarity on rules around bankruptcy law, for example, are needed to draw in greater sums of international capital, she said in a Bloomberg television interview on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum.

Saudi Arabia’s goal to lure $100 billion of overseas money by 2030 seems out of reach for now, with many potential investors still viewing the country as somewhat of a risky bet, Bloomberg has reported. The kingdom wants external capital to help ease the spending burden on mega projects and other initiatives aimed at diversifying away from oil.

Nasrallah’s own advisory shop earlier this year secured a provisional license to operate in Saudi Arabia, joining numerous other boutique and investment banks rushing to the kingdom.

While Saudi Arabia has made a wealth of changes to rules and regulations aimed at making it easier to navigate the investment environment, there’s still an “issue of perception” and “issue of practicality” that may be limiting the inflow of capital, Nasrallah said.

“But they’re certainly heading in the right direction and doing a lot,” she said.

In a sign of the need for more capital, executives from so-called giga projects like Neom and Qiddiya were out in force this week at events in the capital city of Riyadh to pitch themselves to potential partners and investors. Neom also recently held a show-and-tell for bankers.

Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan has previously said some Vision 2030 projects would be delayed, while others are accelerated as the kingdom considers its funding needs, among other things. Saudi Arabia is also trying to avoid a scenario where the economy overheats, stokes inflation and leads to more imports for things like building materials for projects.

“Jadaan has been very smart in the way he has handled the hiccups facing the Saudi gigaprojects,” Andrew Hammond, Middle East historian at Oxford University, said at QEF. “He doesn’t deny any problems in maintaining funding lines.”

“He turns it around as a positive that allows for reassessing and streamlining them,” he said. “It’s the best answer. In any case, no one ever took seriously the idea that they would all be ready by 2030.”

(Updates with Jadaan comments, quote in final paragraphs)

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To attract foreign investment
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The Kingdom is positioning Riyadh as a regional hub, allocating $800 billion to its transformation, and has attracted over 80 multinational regional headquarters with expected job creation.

Title:

Content: It is planning to become a regional business center.
Riyadh is a destination for international companies with huge investment flows
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing the recent opening of several regional headquarters for international companies in the capital Riyadh to conduct their activities, in a move that reflects the Kingdom ’ s keenness to be the largest and most attractive destination for major investments in the region.
The move is part of efforts to diversify the Saudi economy, move from a mainly oil-dependent economy to a diversified and developed economy, create thousands of jobs for Saudis and boost the foreign investment market.
The confidence that the Saudi economy enjoys at the international level is a factor in attracting international companies to the Kingdom, as Saudi Arabia is an attractive destination for foreign direct investment.
The Saudi government also supports this move by providing an investment-friendly environment and facilitating administrative procedures for these companies.
As part of the latest steps to achieve this strategy and strengthen the Kingdom ’ s position as a global investment destination, the Saudi Council of Ministers issued last March a decision to establish the Saudi program to attract regional headquarters of international companies, to be under the supervision of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh.
The program is expected to add about 67 billion riyals (about $18 billion) to the local economy and create about 30,000 new jobs by 2030.
Promotion of foreign investment
This program is part of the initiatives of the National Investment Strategy launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which aims to develop the national economy and diversify its sources, which will achieve many of the objectives of the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, including the promotion of foreign direct investment to reach 5.7% of GDP.
The Kingdom aims from the presence of international companies on its territory to inject investments into the Saudi economy, promote economic growth, and achieve self-sufficiency in many sectors, which reduces unemployment rates and stimulates growth.
The Saudi Ministry of Investment revealed on October 25 that more than 80 international companies have issued transfer licenses for their regional headquarters to the capital Riyadh.
The Saudi government and state-backed institutions will stop signing contracts with foreign companies based in any other country in the region from the beginning of 2024.
In addition, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has allocated $800 billion to transform Riyadh into one of the world ’ s top 10 economic cities, reflecting the kingdom ’ s commitment to boosting economic growth and achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
A few days ago, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih said that 90% of the companies signed to move their regional headquarters chose the capital Riyadh, adding that Saudi Arabia has a high ambition through the city of Riyadh to make it a large city with a population of between 15 and 20 million, and contribute more than 30% of the GDP, pointing out that investment in the local economy exceeded one trillion riyals (about $266 billion) in 2022 for the first time.
Top 10 Economical Cities in the World
In January, Falih stressed that his country is not targeting 80, 100 or 200 international companies, but expects to reach a large number before 2030, and that Riyadh will be the largest capital in the Middle East politically and economically and for the largest international companies.
Commenting on the Saudi trend to increase the headquarters of foreign companies in the Kingdom, Saudi economist Hossam Al-Dakhil said that with the Saudi leadership ’ s interest in developing and diversifying the Kingdom ’ s economy and reducing its dependence on oil, the Saudi Crown Prince announced a strategic plan to develop Riyadh into a major regional hub for international companies. Riyadh is among the top 10 economic cities in the world.
Al-Dakhil added in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that in light of this, the Saudi Council of Ministers approved the establishment of the Saudi program to attract the regional headquarters of international companies, explaining that shortly after this announcement dozens of major international companies obtained licenses to establish regional headquarters in the Saudi capital, such as PepsiCo, Samsung, Siemens, Philips, and Diemen Data. data) and other large companies.
The Saudi economist pointed out that the choice of the city of Riyadh for this plan is due to the fact that it constitutes 50% of the non-oil economy in Saudi Arabia, in addition to the cost of creating jobs in it is 30% less than any other city.
He pointed out that Saudi Arabia has spent heavily on infrastructure, and facilitated attracting major companies through tax facilities and facilitating procedures for entry and establishment of businesses, in addition to the launch of a number of giant projects such as the establishment of Riyadh Airline, which was established in the first quarter of 2023 and began strongly by ordering a fleet of advanced aircraft.
He also referred to the Crown Prince ’ s announcement of the launch of the general plan for King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, which will be one of the largest airports in the world with an area of 57 square kilometers and a capacity of 120 million passengers by 2030, and 185 million passengers in 2050.
He pointed out that there are a number of other projects that prepare the success of the project to attract the regional headquarters of international companies, such as the Green Riyadh project, which aims to increase the proportion of green spaces by 16 times the current green spaces, and the King Salman Park project, which will be the largest park in the world in the north of downtown Riyadh.
In conclusion, Al-Dakhil points out that according to recently announced statistics, the unemployment rate among Saudis has fallen to 8% to the lowest level recorded, compared to 2021, when the unemployment rate reached 11%, and is close to the target rate of Vision 2030 to reduce the unemployment rate to 7%.
The Saudi government aims to move 480 regional headquarters to Riyadh within 10 years.
Source: Al Jazeera + Saudi Press

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

Diversify the economy from oil
modernize infrastructure

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To attract foreign investment
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Investor interest is rising, with opportunities across healthcare, retail, and energy, and Tadawul up more than 11% in the referenced period.

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia attracts international investors.
A global destination for growth
Saudi Arabia is seeing a growing influx of foreign investment, with some investors viewing it as the “new China ” in emerging stock markets, according to Bloomberg.
Saudi Arabia joined the MSCI Emerging Markets Index in 2019, and with Russia excluded from the index and China losing its appeal due to the economic slowdown, some investors began to look for new opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
Economic reforms by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have helped attract more foreign investment to the kingdom.
The Saudi stock market, Tadawul, is up more than 11% this year, more than double the MSCI yield.
There are many opportunities for foreign investors in Saudi Arabia, including large companies in the healthcare, retail and energy sectors.
Increased interest in Saudi Arabia could lead to increased foreign investment inflows into the kingdom, boosting economic growth and helping diversify the economy away from oil.
This could also lead to higher prices for Saudi stocks and an increase in their weight in emerging market indices.
Saudi Arabia is an increasingly attractive investment destination for international investors, offering a variety of opportunities in a fast-growing economy.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To attract foreign investment
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

Governance of the transformation is centralized under the Council of Economic and Development Affairs chaired by the crown prince, which oversees sectoral work and reviews quarterly program performance. [82].

Title:

Content: EconomyFeatured MaterialsNews
The Council of Economic and Development Affairs discusses a number of economic issues
Regions _ UAS
The Council of Economic and Development Affairs held a meeting via videoconference.
The Council reviewed a number of reports, presentations and topics on its agenda, including the periodic presentation of the Ministry of Economy and Planning on local and global economic developments, which included details of the most prominent indicators of the national economy and the growth witnessed during the past period in a large number of sectors and activities.
The Council reviewed the quarterly report submitted by the Office of the Strategic Committee of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs on the programs to achieve the vision of the Kingdom 2030, which included a comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the programs, the most prominent achievements, as well as future aspirations, and the role of the vision programs in achieving the strategic objectives.
During the meeting, the Board discussed the presentation made by the Project Management Office at the Secretariat of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs on the decisions and recommendations issued by the Council for the second quarter of 2023.
The Board has taken the necessary decisions and recommendations on these issues.
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What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Has consolidated his power and removed potential rivals

What internal changes has MBS implemented in Saudi Arabia?

Progress is tracked through 243 Vision 2030 indicators, with 176 exceeding 2023 expectations, and performance is monitored via regular reports and reviews by the National Center for Performance Measurement. [50][51].

Title:

Content: The National Center for Performance Measurement...
The development of public services contributes to achieving the goals of Vision 2030
Provide an overview of the performance of public bodies and the work carried out in the areas of measurement and empowerment
The public agencies in the Kingdom played a major role in achieving the objectives of the vision, so it was natural that the meeting of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs touched on the presentation presented by the National Center for Performance Measurement of Public Agencies on the performance of public agencies for the fourth quarter of 2023 in achieving their objectives and indicators.
The Council of Economic and Development Affairs, in its meeting through video communication, praised the national economy and its amazing development and progress in many areas in recent years, as well as the latest economic developments and indicators, the ability to assess the most prominent challenges and expectations facing the global economy, in addition to visions and recommendations.
It is certain that the support provided by the government agencies enabled them to achieve the required role, which was revealed by the presentation at the meeting, which dealt with a comprehensive view of the performance of public agencies and the work carried out in the areas of measurement and empowerment.
The national economy is witnessing qualitative leaps in all fields, and these leaps stem from the ability of the economy to achieve the objectives of Vision 2030 by diversifying sources of income, reducing dependence on oil income, as well as the development of new economic sectors, which can improve the paths of the economy.
The performance of the national economy was praised by specialized international organizations, which considered that the Kingdom achieved everything it seeks in its economic sector through gradual programs and steps in the vision, which worked to promote economic diversification policies and major investments, which contribute to enabling the national economy to meet the challenges and achieve sustainable development in all sectors.
The Performance Center played a major and pivotal role in the performance of its mission to develop government agencies, indicating that it supported more than 27 government agencies in raising performance practices through 150 workshops, 300 documents reviewed and 81 reports issued to evaluate performance practices.
The presentation included an analysis of the performance of national strategies and their measurement and follow-up plan, in addition to future aspirations regarding measuring the performance of government agencies.
The official efforts continue to support the public bodies through the continuous review of their performance, follow-up of their corrective plans and improvement of government performance in achieving the objectives of Vision 2030.
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What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Social liberalization has advanced quickly, including lifting the ban on women driving in 2018 and allowing women to attend concerts and sporting events and mix in public spaces. [30][18].

Title:

Content: FRANCE PRESS: Where did the religious authority in Saudi Arabia go?
Cairo - Al Wasat Gate Saturday 15 January 2022, 05: 57 pm
Faisal Turk, a Saudi teacher, decided to work with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to guard against its marginalization in recent years, while the Kingdom is witnessing an unprecedented opening coinciding with a campaign of civil and social reforms, according to AFP.
For years, the body, which served as a religious police, enjoyed considerable influence and prestige on the Saudi street, where its members closely monitored the application of Islamic law principles in the conservative kingdom before they were effectively stripped of their powers in 2016.
Expropriate all authority
Faisal, a pseudonym, 37, who resigned months ago from the commission, told AFP: “All our powers have been taken away and we have no clear role at all, ” and the bearded man continued in a meeting in eastern Riyadh:“ Everything I was working to prevent became completely permissible, so I decided to resign. ”
Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took office in 2017, the kingdom has seen social reforms that include allowing women to drive, allowing concerts and ending the ban on mixing between men and women.
Faisal, who was wearing a dark cloak, sarcastically added, "In the past there was only one known body in Saudi Arabia, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue, today the most important body is the Entertainment Authority," referring to the Entertainment Authority, which was created by Saudi Arabia in May 2016 and is entrusted with managing and organizing various entertainment events that are witnessing a high turnout of both sexes.
Turki, a pseudonym for a former member of the body, said that "the existence of the body has become completely formal," and the 40-year-old who worked for the body for more than a decade, continued, "We are no longer allowed to intervene and change any behaviors that we considered inappropriate," noting that many continue to work "for the salary only."
In the past, the Authority had great powers, including ensuring that people applied the rules of public decency and prevented mixing, which included the right to request their personal documents, chase and arrest them, and the cars of the Authority were roaming the streets, and its members made sure that women wear the black cloak exclusively. Women.
The Authority has become its role to launch awareness campaigns
With the reduction of its role in the street, the Commission is finally launching campaigns to raise awareness of ethics and confront the epidemic and warn of the seditious, from digital screens and billboards in the streets and social media platforms. Many members of the Commission currently spend most of their time in their offices without contact with people in the streets, which raises the frustration and anger of the most radical among them, according to two sources familiar with the Commission ’ s activities.
A Saudi official, who asked not to be named, told AFP that "the commission has become isolated," pointing to "a significant reduction in the number of its members, especially those who do not qualify for the call," and it is not known exactly how many of its members are currently, but it is estimated, according to one of the sources, about 5,000 in the kingdom, where more than half of the population is under 35 years old, according to 2020 data.
The young Saudi woman, who was previously harassed by HTS men for her colorful clothes, is now able to go out without a head covering and even smoke in the street.
“We didn ’ t think about smoking in the street in the first place years ago, ” the 26-year-old said while smoking with her colleague in central Riyadh during a break from work, laughing,“ They were going to beat us with bamboo, ” referring to the thin sticks used by the authority ’ s malleants to river people.
Ahmed bin Qassem al-Ghamdi, a former senior official of the commission who was removed from his post in 2015 because of his progressive views, said “the commission ’ s greatest mistake was to follow people ’ s individual mistakes, ” which he said“ had a negative impact ” on its image.
The commission has previously committed “violations ”
The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue (CPVPV), Abdul Rahman al-Sindh, in an interview last October with the state television station Al-Akhbar, acknowledged that the commission ’ s members were practicing “security issues without any background or qualification ” and stressed that the Muslim law does not stipulate that“ forbidding evil necessarily means removing evil ”, which is a major change in the body ’ s thinking in the past.
The body, which has long been criticized for its repression of women, plans to “employ women ” in its ranks soon, according to Sindh, and Saudi writer Saud al-Kateb acknowledged a“ significant and radical change ” in the work of the body, which said that “its role should be limited and not exceed the role of official regulatory bodies. ”
The Shura Council rejected by a large majority in 2018 a proposal to merge the body into the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, pointing to the need for its continuation to combat drugs, and the professor at the Institute of Political Science in Paris, Stephane Lacroix, ruled out that Saudi Arabia would move to dissolve the body, and said: "The body remains a sign of a distinctive Saudi identity associated with many conservative Saudis.
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How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What new permissions have Saudi women gained under Mohammed bin Salman's rule?

attend sporting events
Women gained permission to drive

Women can apply for passports and travel without a male guardian’s approval, work without a male relative’s consent, and participate more fully in public life. [30].

Title:

Content: After five years in power, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is back on the international stage with Biden ’ s visit.
RIYADH (AFP) - Five years after becoming crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is poised to reassert his position internationally once again, with US President Joe Biden visiting the region and having long been sidelined by the West over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Announcement
Biden's visit, which comes amid the war in Ukraine and the associated high energy prices, completes Mohammed bin Salman, 36, from his isolation, after visits to the kingdom by the leaders of France, Britain and Turkey.
On June 21, 2017, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, named his son Mohammed as crown prince, and the latter immediately began a campaign of unprecedented economic and social reforms, but at the same time, he suppressed all opposition and tightened his grip on the country.
The crown prince has become the de facto ruler of the kingdom, one of the world ’ s largest oil exporters, in a reform process that has turned all aspects of life in the kingdom upside down.
But Khashoggi ’ s killing has cast such a shadow over Prince Mohammed ’ s tenure that Biden ’ s visit next month to Saudi Arabia, once a traditional trip for U.S. leaders, is highly controversial.
Khashoggi, who was close to Saudi power before becoming a critic of the crown prince, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 and dismembered by Saudis from the kingdom.
A US intelligence report concluded that Prince Mohammed approved the arrest or killing of Khashoggi.
The Saudi crown prince denies the accusations.
After the visits of French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Biden ’ s visit is a new recognition of the status of the Saudi crown prince.
Yasmine Farouk of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace believes that Washington has been the center of opposition to Mohammed bin Salman in terms of public official statements and mobilization in the West.
"This is exactly what Mohammed bin Salman has wanted for the past year and a half: a meeting and a photo with Biden as his counterpart," a diplomat living in Riyadh told AFP.
Women behind the wheel
Today, Prince Mohammed bin Salman has fingerprints in all the policies of the Kingdom and its society.
His reforms included abolishing the requirement for women to wear the black abaya and removing restrictions on their movements without the consent of their parents.
The wearing of the abaya and headscarf is now optional.
Women were also allowed to attend concerts and sporting events.
In 2018, they were finally allowed to drive.
The kingdom has also relaxed its guardianship system, allowing women to issue passports and travel outside the country without the consent of their male relatives.
This has contributed to the entry of women into the workforce, which has had a positive impact on the economy.
However, Saudi Arabia ’ s approach to women ’ s issues remains incomplete, especially with regard to those who dare to oppose it.
In 2018, authorities arrested dozens of women human rights defenders, most of them just a month before the women ’ s driving ban was lifted, including those who dared to challenge the driving ban.
In November 2017, authorities arrested dozens of princes and senior officials for questioning over corruption or disloyalty at the luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh.
Hussein Ibish, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Prince Mohammed "linked his comprehensive cultural, social and artistic revolution...
with a dramatic concentration of political power "in his hand.
"Close all obvious sources of direct opposition in order to control" the country, he said.
Expanding beyond borders
Prince Mohammed has also made his mark on his country ’ s foreign policy.
Two months after his father, King Salman, ascended the throne, and while he was defense minister, he pushed for military intervention in Yemen.
Riyadh formed a military coalition of several countries that carried out this intervention to support government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
As a result of the war, Yemen is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly or because of its aftermath, and pushed millions to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
Saudi Arabia has come under criticism, including from the United States, over the conflict, particularly when coalition air strikes have killed civilians.
In a sign of its desire to get out of the Yemeni quagmire, Saudi Arabia helped broker a truce in Yemen that began in April.
The boycott of Qatar, announced three weeks before Prince Mohammed takes office on June 21, was also a manifestation of Saudi foreign policy influenced by bin Salman ’ s influence.
But analysts say the kingdom has finally begun to adopt a conciliatory approach in the region, citing, for example, its involvement in direct talks with Iran, its regional rival, and Prince Mohammed ’ s recent statement that Israel is a “potential ally ” of his country amid regular reports of Saudi-Israeli rapprochement.
The most important element of Prince Mohammed ’ s Vision 2030 is reshaping his country ’ s oil-dependent economy.
The plan, which includes attracting about 30 million foreign tourists a year by 2030, is based on mega projects such as NEOM, the futuristic $500 billion science-fiction city with flying taxis and working robots.
Yasmine Farooq says Mohammed bin Salman “is the center of power (behind the change), but he has done nothing that was not already up for discussion in the public sphere. ”
Christian Ulrichsen, an analyst at Rice University's James Baker Institute, said: "Having achieved much of the argument that only he can change Saudi Arabia by 2030, the next several years will be crucial for Mohammed bin Salman and depend on him achieving tangible results that meet expectations."

How has Saudi Arabia empowered women and increased their labor market participation under Vision 2030?

By removing restrictions on freedom of movement

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Women now make up 37% of the labor market, up from 17% in 2016, reflecting a dramatic rise in participation. [30].

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia will send a female astronaut on a space mission for the first time this year, in the latest move to rebrand its ultra-conservative image.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said that Rayyana Barnawi, a female astronaut, will join Ali Al-Qarni, also from Saudi Arabia, on a 10-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
The Saudi Press Agency and Axiom Space Inc. said that Barnaway and Carney will fly to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX ’ s Dragon spacecraft as part of the private Axiom space company ’ s mission this spring.
Axiom 2 will also be carried out by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who will make her fourth flight to the International Space Station, and John Shoffner, a businessman from Tennessee, will be the pilot.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket aboard Axiom 2 will be launched from Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and flown to the International Space Station.
Saudi Arabia ’ s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been trying to shed his shadowy image by pushing for reforms.
Since he took power in 2017, women have begun to be allowed to drive and travel abroad without a male guardian, and their share of the workforce has more than doubled since 2016, from 17 percent to 37 percent.
Saudi Arabia formulated a space program in 2018 and launched another last year to send astronauts into space as part of Mohammed Salman ’ s 2030 Economic Diversification Vision Agenda.
Axiom Space carried out its first mission to send civilian astronauts to the International Space Station in April 2022, when four civilian astronauts spent 17 days in space during the Ax-1 mission.
# Mission # Saudi Arabia # International Space Station # Axiom # Astronaut

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

And women's workforce participation doubled to 36%

Women hold over 30% of middle and senior management posts, and women’s representation in senior and middle management roles rose to 41.4% in 2021. [35].

Title:

Content: - A plus A.
"Oakaz" (grandmother)
Saudi Arabia affirmed that it is determined to achieve the effective and real empowerment of women and enable them to play their role in building the nation with the full support and assistance of their fellow Saudi citizens without discrimination, disruption or neutralization.
This came in a speech delivered by the Chargé d'affaires of the Permanent Delegation of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Counsellor Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ateeq, during the annual session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Women and Gender Equality.
Al-Ateeq expressed Saudi Arabia ’ s appreciation for the report issued on the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2018-2021, which many governments have aligned in line with their orientations in order to achieve the goals of women ’ s empowerment and equality.
In the past few years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed extensive reforms in the field of human rights, and the field of women's rights has received the largest share of these developments and reforms, as many laws, regulations and legal bases have been promulgated and amended to ensure that women enjoy their rights on an equal basis with men, and a number of measures have been taken to promote women's rights and empowerment.
He pointed out that many legal frameworks have been amended and promulgated to achieve equality between women and men, most notably the Traffic Regulations, the Travel Documents Regulations, the Civil Status Regulations, the Labour Regulations and the Social Insurance Regulations.
As a result of these accelerated reforms in the file of Saudi women, the World Bank ’ s Women, Business and the Law report for the years 2020 and 2021 respectively ranked Saudi Arabia among the most countries in the world in implementing reforms related to laws and regulations related to women, and Saudi Arabia achieved a full score of “100 ” in five indicators: mobility, workplace, entrepreneurship, retirement and wages.
Al-Ateeq pointed out that Saudi Arabia has taken a number of special measures to accelerate equality in various fields through the launch of several initiatives aimed at accelerating the achievement of concrete and effective achievements in this regard.
He said: The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the launch of the "National Platform for Saudi Women Leaders" in cooperation with Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, where the number of registered women in the platform reached 9077, and the launch of "Qara" program to support the transport of working women. From a program of 13,950 beneficiaries to the third quarter of 2021.
He added that the measures taken include the "Support for Self-Employment" program, which expands the circle of opportunities to increase women's income according to their skills, the "Partial Work" and "Remote Work" programs, which enable women to achieve a balance between work and family, as well as empowering women in rural and remote areas to enter the labor market.
It is noteworthy that the economic participation rate of Saudi females has been increased by 94% from 2017 to 2020, and the launch of the Women Empowerment Program at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to increase their participation in the digital sector, and to enable access to leadership positions in the sector. By encouraging companies to commit and pledge to support women ’ s access to senior positions in their organizations and encouraging other companies to join, more than 30 companies in Saudi Arabia have joined the alliance.
Al-Ateeq explained that the Human Resources Development Fund (HDF) has launched a number of initiatives, including Tamheer Program, which reached 70,000 beneficiaries until 2019, Doroob, a national e-training platform where women accounted for 53.8% of the total trainees in the second quarter of 2021, and the Employment Support Program, where the Fund provides financial support for targeted employment. Beneficiary.
He stressed that work has been done to empower women to occupy senior positions, so that Saudi women have reached senior positions in government institutions, universities and others, where they occupy leadership and supervisory positions in a number of ministries and government institutions, and the percentage of women in senior and middle management positions increased from 28.6% in 2017 to 41.4% in the first quarter of 2021.
He reiterated that women are active partners in the political and public life in Saudi Arabia by participating in decision-making or elections and running for election. Saudi women have been included in their participation in the Shura Council, and the number of women working in the Council has reached 97. Women also participate in municipal elections and in running for and election to the Council of Chambers of Commerce.
At the international level, Saudi women have held senior international positions and participated in international and regional organizations, including the United Nations, where a Saudi woman was the Executive Director of UNFPA and the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, and a Saudi woman was the Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization, in addition to her participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia scored 80/100 in gender equality metrics and achieved full marks in several Women, Business and Law indicators, mirroring a 94% jump in female economic participation from 2017 to 2020. [31].

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi women’s public presence has expanded to new domains, with two female ambassadors sworn in, and the first Saudi woman, Rayyana Barnawi, joining an ISS mission under the national space program. [30].

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What leadership roles have Saudi women achieved under Vision 2030?

A defining element of the social shift has been curtailing the influence of the Wahhabi religious establishment by restricting the powers of the religious police, whose authority was stripped and limited to awareness roles. [38].

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

The General Entertainment Authority was created to manage cultural events, helping shift social norms by organizing concerts and mixed-gender activities nationwide. [38].

Title:

Content: After the call to stop the "Riyadh Season"
The Saudi youth.
Between the closed hammer of Wahhabism and the anvil of loose entertainment
Monday 20 December 2021 - 03: 58 GMT
Mohammed bin Abdulwahab, the grandfather of the Al-Sheikh family, is the first to spread the doctrine that bears his name, the Wahhabi doctrine, in the land of Arabia, with the sword of Mohammed bin Saud, the grandfather of the Al-Saud family, and ironically, the end of this doctrine, or almost, at the hands of the grandson of the first, Turki Al-Sheikh, head of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, and the grandson of the second Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
The World as a Collection
The Saud family had the upper hand in the context of the historical alliance that arose between Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab and Mohammed bin Saud, given that the elements of power were in the grip of Ibn Saud, and when the role of Mohammed bin Salman, to reach the throne, a young man did not exceed the age of 20, felt that the road will not be impassable to the throne as long as the Wahhabi institution in the joints of the state, To get rid of both.
In the beginning, he ended the power of the sheikhs of Wahhabism, and reduced the role of the Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, in order to win young people to his side, after Wahhabism kept their breath, and in the second removed everyone who felt that he was competing with him, the Sultan of Al Saud and others and imprisoned them under various pretexts.
Since the youth represent the vast majority of the people, bin Salman tried to get closer to them, through the policy of openness, which he entrusted the implementation of one of the grandchildren of Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab, called Turki al-Sheikh, who headed the entertainment authority, and used the wide powers granted by bin Salman, and opened the doors of Saudi Arabia wide to music groups, singing and dancing, and held loud and mixed concerts. Cut, gambling clubs and wine bars.
It is remarkable that the Saudi people, was the victim, to the grandparents and grandchildren of Sheikh Wal Saud, the grandparents and grandchildren, dealt with the Saudi people superior treatment, the grandparents imposed on him the closed Wahhabi doctrine, which was a distorted and false reading of the true Islamic religion, and spawned all the bloody Takfiri groups that appeared in the world without exception, and today imposed grandchildren, dissolution and moral decline In its western version, without any red lines, as entertainment!!
One of the most important symbols of moral laxity in the policy of openness led by Turki al-Sheikh in Saudi Arabia, is the "Riyadh Season", where mixed dance concerts are held, which do not find a counterpart even in countries known for opening to such concerts for many decades, but what happened in the current Riyadh season, made activists in Saudi Arabia, ringing the bell of danger, because of the dangers of moral deviation. They live in the shadow of Wahhabism.
Since Monday morning, the hashtag “Stop _ Riyadh _ Season _ Muttalib ” has been trending on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, where activists expressed their anger at the inappropriate behavior witnessed during the Riyadh season in the past days, thousands have tweeted this hashtag posting pictures and clips of young men and women dancing to loud music, and wearing bold clothes, stressing that these practices do not suit customs and traditions. The Saudi people, and it is absurd not to represent them.
Many commentators directed their contributions to the organizers of this season, considering that it is a waste of money and an alienation from the religion, customs and traditions that Saudi society still maintains to this day. Others felt that the gathering of huge crowds in light of the threat of Coronavirus and the mutated new strains is not wise, calling on the concerned authorities to stop the events immediately to avoid returning to point zero in relation to the spread of the epidemic.

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The state has also moved against clerics who opposed government policies, and pursued reforms to promote moderation in religious discourse through the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. [21].

Title:

Content: - A plus A.
The Kingdom has taken great care of preachers and preachers, mosques and mosques, imams and preachers, as the holders of Islamic science and religious discourse, and the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have contributed to the adoption of reform and renewal of religious discourse to achieve moderation today; through the approach of rationalization, based on the selection of qualified qualified,...
Our nation believes that the Friday sermon and prayer are an opportunity to renew the covenant with God, strengthen the bond with His side, and ease the burdens of the world and its problems; by listening to a sermon, which penetrates the hearts, sheds the eyes, reminds of God and the Hereafter, and clarifies what a Muslim should be of pure affiliation to religion, and to the prophetic ethics and the spirit of Islam.
Observers from inside and outside the Kingdom recorded their great admiration for the reform witnessed by the platforms in form and content, by taking care of the Friday sermon, ensuring its commitment to the prophetic method, and using the easy time of the sermon to calm the souls, soften feelings, reduce hostility, and do not overstep by praying on the violators or dissenters, in compliance with the saying of the right blessed and Almighty (you have your religion).
Without the generous patronage of the Saudi leadership and the humanization of the Kingdom ’ s vision, we would not have seen the rationalization of religious discourse and the formulation of a vision that does not lose sight of the reality of the situation and fate, religions bring closer and do not exclude, rituals love and hate, and moral behavior is the greatest common denominator among all human societies.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Da ’ wah and Guidance plays its role in protecting the pulpits and preaching from every bearer of thought alien to the homeland and society. It develops the capacities of preachers and preachers who are conscious and wise and address people in the best way, without excessive or indifferent. Its functions and methods of work and its implementation, with emphasis on its necessity, and the need of man to restore his balance and maintain his tranquility, and to cherish the achievement of the national state over others.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

What internal changes has MBS implemented in Saudi Arabia?

Suppressed dissent--especially Islamist opposition

What is one of the first priorities of Vision 2030 regarding ideological extremism?

Avoiding actions that cause dissent, encourage violence, or spread dangerous ideas

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

Public life reflects these changes, from concerts and music to relaxed social codes in some settings, further signaling the reduced role of religious policing in daily life. [40].

How has the role of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice changed under Muhammad bin Salman?

Has been reduced to morality awareness campaigns and COVID-19 efforts.

No longer acts as the de facto religious police.

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Rebranding national identity has accompanied these steps, including “Foundation Day” and other measures that emphasize a broader historical narrative.

Title:

Content: The square project.
A new step by bin Salman for “changing identity ”? | Politics and economics | In-depth analysis with a broader perspective than DW | DW | 12.03.2023
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The square project.
A new step by bin Salman to “change identity ”?
Is Saudi Arabia moving towards more identity modernization?
A new project in the capital Riyadh mimics the shape of the Kaaba, in a context that is witnessing a shift from the Saudi leadership towards easing the historical and religious dimension.
The giant cube in the middle of the new square project has nothing to do with the Kaaba in Mecca, although there is a similarity in the geometry.
A huge project announced by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under the name of "Square Project" in the capital Riyadh, with a width, height and length of 400 meters, which will be in the center of Riyadh, with the aim of developing the largest "Downtown", where the Saudi leadership plans to be the largest city center in the world.
The project includes "an innovative museum, a university specializing in technology and design, a multi-use theater and areas for live and entertainment shows," the Saudi Press Agency announced a few days ago, and is scheduled to be completed in 2030.
The project resembles the Kaaba in its geometric form, which has left a great controversy on social media sites.
Bruno Schmidt Fuerherd, a political analyst from Cambridge University, told DW that “in the Saudi public sphere, religion is increasingly being replaced by culture, ” denying that cube-shaped architecture is something specific to the Kaaba.
Change Date of Incorporation
This new square is not the only change in Saudi Arabia; it has been preceded by other steps that confirm a trend towards modernizing the country.
For the first time, the anniversary of the founding of the Saudi state was celebrated last year, and the occasion was designated on February 22 of each year, known as "Foundation Day", in addition to the Saudi National Day celebrated on September 23 of each year, and dates back to the occasion of the unification of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
The most important thing in establishing the "Foundation Day" is to change the date of the founding of the country from 1744 to 1727.
The year 1744 is linked to the agreement between the ruling Al Saud family and the cleric Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the leader of the so-called Wahhabi Islam, who remained in control of Saudi Arabia for decades.
The agreement includes Abdul Wahab's support for the House of Saud in power, from a religious point of view, while the ruling family financially supports the Wahhabi family and allows it to have authority over education and public morals, and even laws were the same Wahhabi.
In 1727, it is related to the rise to power of Mohammed bin Saud as the founder of the first Saudi state, after his control of the Emirate of Diriyah north of Riyadh.
“The new interpretation of the birth of the state clearly underestimates the role of religion, ” says Schmidt Feuerhard, highlighting that“ the goal is a national campaign to celebrate non-religious holidays. ”
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia declared Flag Day, a day officially celebrated for the first time on March 11, 2023, which dates back to the day the current Saudi flag was approved by King Abdulaziz.
The royal decree referred to the Testimony of Tawhid as symbolizing "the message of peace and Islam" while the sword symbolizes "strength, nobility, wisdom and prestige".
The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs also announced major changes to the rules of the month of Ramadan, including urging not to bring children to mosques, prohibiting collection of donations inside mosques, not to be absent from work except for the utmost necessity, taking into account the conditions of people in Taraweeh prayers and supplications, and prohibiting the use of cameras in mosques.
Change in a general context
These changes have generally been accepted by a large number of Saudis, and Schmidt Fuerherd points to several explanations for the phenomenon, including sending tens of thousands of Saudis abroad with full government funding, that have made them receptive to these cultural changes in the country.
Education and job creation for Saudi youth have also become priorities for the kingdom, a key part of Vision 2030, announced by the crown prince during his rise in politics, since he was crown prince ’ s deputy.
Since 2016, Mohammed bin Salman has announced a series of decisions to change the face of the conservative kingdom.
This included diversifying the economy by not making it focused on oil, modernizing the country ’ s infrastructure, creating a recreational policy that allowed the establishment of music festivals and the opening of cinemas, and the largest beneficiaries are the women of the Kingdom, which eased restrictions on them, including allowing driving and Hajj and Umrah without a mahram, and mixing became normal, as well as abolishing the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Mohammed bin Salman wants to modernize Saudi society without guaranteeing political freedoms
Freedom is not guaranteed!
Activist Loujain al-Hathloul spent three years in prison for defending women ’ s rights. Last year, 34-year-old Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison for liking or tweeting about human rights in the kingdom. Noura bint Saeed al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45 years in prison. For the same reason.
“While there are more social freedoms, the state wants to remain the owner of change. ”
Schmidt Feuerherd says, “So any form of political activity is thwarted, and critics and opponents are portrayed as traitors to the nation. ”
Jennifer Hollis / EG

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

Quality-of-life indicators have trended positively, with improvements in health standards and happiness reported under the reform program.

Public confidence has strengthened, with surveys showing high trust in institutions and strong confidence in government performance.

Title:

Content: Reforms boost Saudis ’ confidence in their institutions
Reforms boost Saudis ’ confidence in their institutions
A poll conducted by Edelman, an American consulting and public relations firm, found high levels of trust in Saudi society in the kingdom ’ s key institutions: government, business, NGOs and the media.
The Confidence Index 2022 survey, which surveyed 36,000 respondents from 28 countries, found that 73 percent of those surveyed were in Saudi Arabia.
They are optimistic that they and their families will have a better life in the next five years.
Observers believe that this is due to the reform path launched by the Saudi leadership in 2016, which included all sectors.
Kenana Dahlan: Edelman Index results clearly show the great confidence citizens show in their government
Some sought to question the ability of the current leadership to achieve its modernization vision, which was not limited to the economic aspect, but also affected the social and religious aspects.
The results so far have been the success of this leadership in achieving the desired goal and gaining the confidence of its citizens.
The survey showed that the confidence index of the Saudi government reached the level of 82% and is the highest among other institutions in the Kingdom, while the global average of confidence in governments fell to 53%, according to the total opinion of respondents from the countries studied.
The report noted an increase in trust in media and journalists compared to the global average, but also highlighted an 18% increase in anxiety about false or false news, while the impact of high-quality information was the highest in improving trust.
Kenana Dahlan, head of Edelman ’ s office in Saudi Arabia, said: “The report shows the high level of confidence towards the performance of the government sector and the business sector, and that they are the engine that leads to positive and effective change, especially as these aspirations and results are linked to responsibilities. ”
Dahlan added that “the results of the Edelman Index clearly show the great confidence that citizens show in their government in light of the development renaissance experienced by the Kingdom, which is in line with Vision 2030. ”
Edelman has international credibility and has been surveying the confidence index in 28 countries for nearly 22 years.
arabic

The reform drive has not been without challenges, including concerns from rights groups about restrictions on public worship for non-Muslims and Shi’a communities, and the arrest of some women’s rights activists in 2018. [42][8].

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Content: HRW: Saudi Arabia uses celebrities to divert attention from its abuses
Friday 19 November 2021 - 06: 30 GMT
The Saudi regime has a history of using celebrities and major international events to distract attention from its rampant abuses.
World - Saudi Arabia
According to Saudi Leaks, within three weeks, Saudi Arabia will host the Formula 1 Saudi Grand Prix in Jeddah.
A large number of international stars – including Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo, Isaac Rocky and David Gita – are set to perform at the weekend with the start of the first round on December 4.
Outwardly, the celebrations are meant to entertain the public.
But if we look closely, it is clear that the Saudi government intends to use these celebrities to polish its dire human rights record.
“Saudi Arabia has a history of using celebrities and major international events to distract attention from its rampant abuses, ” she said.
Some celebrities, including Emily Rataykovsky and John Cena, have previously refused to participate in Saudi Arabia ’ s concerts, citing human rights concerns there.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have long documented ongoing arbitrary practices by Saudi authorities targeting peaceful dissidents and activists.
She highlighted that despite recent social reforms, including the lifting of travel restrictions for women, and the conditional release of some women who campaigned for the right to drive, many peaceful activists remain imprisoned or subject to travel bans.
Some prisoners of conscience in Saudi Arabia have been tortured while in detention, while their families may be subjected to collective punishment.
Criminal justice and labour rights reforms in Saudi Arabia never meet international standards and lack respect for fundamental rights.
Human Rights Watch ’ s # SaudiRegrets campaign urges those who are invited to participate in events sponsored by the Saudi government to raise their voice on human rights issues or not to participate at all when the primary objective is to launder Saudi Arabia ’ s reputation.
Human Rights Watch called for public participation to call on Bieber, Derlow, Isap Rocky, and Gita to lead by example and speak out about Saudi human rights violations.

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

On the economic front, achieving FDI targets requires regulatory clarity, and some projects could face delays due to funding needs as the Kingdom calibrates investment pacing.

Taken together, Vision 2030 has accelerated economic diversification, modernized governance, expanded opportunities for women and youth, and recalibrated the role of the religious establishment, while navigating complex social and investment challenges on the path to a more open and resilient Saudi Arabia. [7][3][38][30].

How has Vision 2030 affected women's rights and workforce participation?

Strengthened women's rights
gender equality

What are some of the key goals of Vision 2030 for society and economy?

allow recreational activities; Saudi women benefit from relaxed restrictions

What are the main goals of the 2016- launched Vision 2030?

To lessen reliance on oil.
To diversify Saudi Arabia's economy

What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?