Mohammed bin Salman has introduced reforms as part of his 2030 vision to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

The reforms include restricting the religious police's powers and improving women's rights, such as driving and attending concerts.

The Vision 2030 plan, launched in 2016, aims to transform the economy by increasing productivity and reducing spending.

The plan has seen significant progress, with 8.2 percent non-oil sector growth and an eight-rank advance in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022.

Women now make up 34.5 percent of the labor market and hold over 30 percent of middle and senior management positions.

The Kingdom achieved significant economic growth in 2023, with non-oil GDP exceeding 50 percent of GDP.

The Vision 2030 plan has 243 indicators, with 176 exceeding 2023 expectations and 105 exceeding both 2023 and 2024 targets.

The plan aims to raise the private sector's GDP contribution to 65 percent by 2030, with foreign direct investment already reaching $33 billion.

The Saudi government has limited the powers of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to reduce Wahhabi influence.

The Commission now focuses on awareness campaigns and promoting ethics, without intervening in inappropriate behaviors.

The international community, including the IMF, has welcomed Saudi Arabia's economic reforms.

The IMF commended Saudi Arabia's efforts to promote private sector growth.

The reforms have faced criticism for not adequately addressing the country's human rights record.

The Saudi government has been criticized for arresting women's rights activists.

The government remains committed to Vision 2030, implementing reforms to promote development and reduce poverty.

Mohammed bin Salman has introduced reforms as part of his 2030 vision to diversify Saudi Arabia's economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

Title:

Content: Global News
The most important achievements of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and what he presented to the Saudi citizen
We present to you our visitors the most important and latest details of the news of the most important achievements of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and what he presented to the Saudi citizen in the following article
Omar Shweil - Jeddah Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud, born on the 15th of the month of Dhul-Hijjah in 1405 AH, corresponding to August 31, 1985 AD.
Abu Dhabi, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Chairman of the Council of Political and Security Affairs and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a bachelor 's degree in law at King Saud University, served as President of the Saudi Royal Court in January 2015, lasted until April 2015, then on April 29, 2015, was appointed Deputy Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia in June 2017. Mohammed Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of the Crown Prince, knowing that we will provide you with all the necessary details on this subject in the following lines.
What has he done for the Saudi citizen?
1.
Saudi Arabia ’ s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has provided women with valuable services, granting them many of the rights they had previously denied, he said in 2016 in an interview with Bloomberg Economic Magazine: “Women have rights in Islam just as they did men. ”
2.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud contributed to the consolidation of the vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2023, contributed to the realization of this vision, continues to contribute, a vision that preserves the welfare of the Saudi citizen.
3.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud contributed to raising the level of well-being among Saudis, through the establishment of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia.
4.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has supported many projects that have contributed to supporting Saudi citizens with low and middle income, such as Sanid program, housing program, and social security system, among others.
What are the positions of the Saudi Crown Prince?
1.
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, to be the future king after King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
2.
Chairman of the Political and Security Affairs Council.
3.
Saudi Minister of Defense.
4.
Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs.
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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?

The reforms include restricting the religious police's powers and improving women's rights, such as driving and attending concerts.

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

gender equality
Strengthened women's rights

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

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?

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

The Vision 2030 plan, launched in 2016, aims to transform the economy by increasing productivity and reducing spending.

Title:

Content: Extensive reforms in the Kingdom in 2022
Financial: The reforms of the Crown Prince have great support from the youth
2020-12-28 at 08: 16
The Citizen - Translated by Hala Abdulrahman
The Financial Times pointed out that the Kingdom is carrying out extensive reforms under the auspices of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in rapid steps that enjoy great support from the Kingdom ’ s youth.
Extensive repairs
The newspaper reported that the year 2022 witnessed extensive changes in the Kingdom, based on the ambitious Vision 2030 launched by the Crown Prince, and the year 2022, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, launched an important series of reforms.
These reforms include renewing and diversifying the economy to make it less dependent on oil and more open to other sources such as tourism.
The Kingdom is trying to attract young talent and Western companies in the face of growing global and regional competition, in addition to providing a more modern lifestyle.
Support for youth and women
The newspaper praised the elements of the empowerment of Saudi women and their inclusion in many fields and participation in many activities, which enabled them to achieve achievements at the local and regional level, while the Saudis welcomed these steps and enjoyed great popularity and support.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received widespread support from Saudi youth.
The words of support and motivation for young people are always present in most of the speeches of the Crown Prince, which was evident during the launch of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, which is one of the possibilities to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, aimed at building an intellectual property system that supports the economy based on innovation and creativity.
The real power.
“We have minds and energies that are passionate about innovation and creativity, and by enabling it, the Kingdom will be a fertile environment for the knowledge economy through an integrated intellectual property system that supports the development of innovative technologies and industries and contributes to the growth of enterprises.
In 2016, His Highness the Crown Prince announced the future vision of Saudi Arabia 2030, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed that youth are the real force to achieve the national vision, which he believes will be achieved only through the Saudi youth, which is one of the most prominent advantages in Saudi Arabia.
Since then, Vision 2030 has placed youth as a pillar and roadmap to empower them, get out of the oil mantle, invest, and diversify economic incomes.

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

The plan has seen significant progress, with 8.2 percent non-oil sector growth and an eight-rank advance in the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022.

Title:

Content: Confidence decision and stage vision
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After a decade-long series of rises, oil prices fell dramatically in 2015, and with it the Saudi economy faced a very complex situation, amid widespread concern about the continued state of the oil market saturated with production and stocks, and the dependence of the Saudi economy on this single resource.
The economy of the Kingdom was on the verge of repeating the experience of falling prices at the end of the 1980s, and the wheel of development stopped until the oil market regained its balance.
The difficult situation of the main fuel "oil" to the state treasury coincided with the pledge of allegiance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who made rapid structural changes from the first moments to avoid a repeat of the economic crisis in the 1990s, beginning with the establishment of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs headed by Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
No one realized at the time the importance of the decision and its profound impact on the Saudi economy, enabling a new generation of young leaders to achieve the historic role assigned to them at this important stage.
It was not long before the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 shone in April 2016, seeking to exploit the Kingdom ’ s strengths, namely its vital strategic position on the world map, investment power, Arab and Islamic depth, and harnessing all potential to achieve great national ambitions.
The vision promised at that time a huge challenge in all its numbers, and the exact timing of its completion, but most importantly the emergence of the personality of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as an able leader with scientific and practical knowledge of the capabilities and capabilities of his country and people.
His speeches and speeches to the international and local media clearly reflected his vision of the place that the Kingdom should achieve among the countries of the world, especially in important national issues such as national transformation, diversification of sources of income, empowerment of the private sector, fighting corruption and extremism.
The challenges of national transformation began with extensive changes in ministries and leadership and the establishment of bodies with unprecedented transparency, under the supervision and diligent follow-up of the Crown Prince, which contributed to accelerating progress.
The period following the structural changes of the ministries required extensive tours of Prince Mohammed bin Salman around the world to achieve several objectives, most notably reforming the oil market and opening the doors to Saudi investments led by the Public Investment Fund in its new version.
After Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed the crown prince on June 21, 2017, work continued on maximizing the vision ’ s output.
History records the praise of heads of state and international organizations for his efforts and ability to reform the mechanisms of decision-making in the oil market, which culminated in the production of "OPEC +" with careful governance of its work, which restored prices to levels before the collapse of 2015.
Saudi Arabia is now the world ’ s fastest-growing country among the G20, with 13 percent in the first half of this year, which is witnessing the suffering of many countries with severe economic, social, administrative and political problems.
The current growth is more sustainable than ever because of the actions taken.
The non - oil sector grew by 8.2 per cent.
Already, the Kingdom has overcome difficult circumstances in five years, to crown today the world summit in several indicators, where it advanced eight ranks in the report of the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2022, ranked 24th out of 63 countries considered the most competitive in the world, and the second best performance in the world, and the financial market achieved the best performance in 14 years.
G20 countries topped the flow of international tourist arrivals in the first seven months of last year, according to the latest reports from the World Tourism Organization, at a rate of more than 121 percent.
Within one year, several programs, plans and designs were launched, including the design of The Line, Oxagon, Trogina and ENOA, which deals with innovations and the energy, water and hydrogen industries, NEOM Digital Technology, as well as sustainability projects in Riyadh with more than 68 initiatives in five sectors, worth more than 346 billion riyals, City Visions and Downtown Jeddah.
There is no secret when it is said that all the previous projects, plans and initiatives have been implemented and implemented under the personal follow-up of the Crown Prince, and to achieve sustainability for development, and to complement the mega projects comes the Royal Order appointing him as Prime Minister, to consolidate the firm and lay the foundations of the Kingdom of the future.
There is no doubt that the wisdom of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was manifested in choosing the right time for this decision, coinciding with the stage of change, reform and development to reach the Kingdom - as the Crown Prince - the highest heaven.
Publish it.

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?

Women now make up 34.5 percent of the labor market and hold over 30 percent of middle and senior management positions.

Title:

Content: ...
...
...
...
Women and the Economy in the Kingdom
Fadwa Saad Al Bawardi
Posted in: Last Updated:
One of the main pillars of Vision 2030 is the empowerment of Saudi women through activating their leadership role in the labor market, in order to participate in achieving the strategic objectives of the Kingdom, which include the diversification and sustainability of the Saudi economy, and raising the Kingdom to become among the top 15 economies in the world with a GDP of more than 6 trillion riyals.
Also, because one of the goals of Vision 2030 is to attract global investment, it promotes the creation of huge job opportunities for all Saudis, men and women.
One of the most prominent achievements of Vision 2030 is the launch of the National Transformation Program, in which Saudi women play a key role through their assumption of leadership, administrative and operational positions, to achieve eight strategic dimensions of the National Transformation Program.
These strategic dimensions include improving health care, enabling community groups to enter the labor market, achieving excellence in government performance through digital transformation and enhancing the concept of digital government, as well as contributing to the empowerment of the private sector, developing the tourism sector and national heritage, and promoting community development and other strategic objectives.
The Kingdom has achieved qualitative leaps in terms of raising the efficiency and empowerment of women and increasing their economic participation in the labor market. The reform efforts and legislation undertaken in recent years in accordance with the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030 have reflected the objectives of empowering women by overcoming some obstacles related to freedom of movement, work, education, obtaining travel documents and completing many government transactions.
The Saudi Ministry of Justice has given women the ability to document company incorporation contracts, agency issuance and dissolution, mortgage, real estate emptying, debt declarations and repayment, and other necessary transactions.
This has helped to double the participation of women in the labor market from 17% to 31.8% in 2020, and the proportion of women in middle and senior management positions is more than 30% in the public and private sectors.
The indicators also showed that the percentage of Saudi women in the civil service rose to more than 41%.
One of the most prominent gains and achievements of Saudi women is their participation in many tracks of economic development, where she was nominated in municipal councils and chambers of commerce, and also became an ambassador, deputy minister, cultural attaché, and a leading member of the Shura Council and regions. year 2020.
The women also joined the military sector at the Ministry of Defense, where the first batch of the training center for women cadres of the Saudi Armed Forces was graduated in various military ranks in several sectors such as the Royal Land Forces, Air Defense Forces, Royal Navy and others, in addition to joining the Hajj and Umrah security force at the Grand Mosque.
In addition to all of the above, Saudi women have a remarkable presence in the field of entrepreneurship within the Kingdom, ranging from small projects to the opening of factories, for example: a Saudi female entrepreneur was able to produce and manufacture military products and clothing, and was able to design and produce a suit for thermal and optical disguise with a 100% Saudi homemade industry.
Another example of a Saudi female entrepreneur who managed to cover the Saudi market with a pure national industry, for products that are ISO and UNIDO certified, and also contributed to the employment of a large number of Saudi girls in this project.
Kafalah, the financing guarantee program for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), announced that the total number of enterprises owned by businesswomen benefiting from the program during the first half of this year reached 456 establishments with a funding of 432 million riyals, thus increasing the percentage of benefiting businesswomen to 124%, compared to the same period last year.
The Kingdom, through the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, has launched a number of projects supporting women, such as the National Platform for Women Leaders, which serves as a tool to enable entities to communicate and nominate women leaders for leadership and military positions, boards of directors or official delegations in international forums based on smart search criteria among female applicants.
There is also a leadership training and mentoring initiative to enrich the knowledge of Saudi women leaders, among other initiatives.
The total number of establishments owned by Saudi businesswomen during the first half of 2021 amounted to more than 450 establishments funded by SR 432 million, thus increasing the percentage of benefiting businesswomen to 124%, compared to the same period in 2020.
One of the great historical achievements for the empowerment of Saudi women is the crowning of Riyadh as the “Capital of Arab Women ” in 2020, coinciding with its chairmanship of the 39th session of the Arab Women ’ s Committee, which highlighted the national will to support women ’ s gains in all fields, including increasing women ’ s economic participation and effective presence in administrative positions.
One of the fruits of the vision on women ’ s empowerment is that the Kingdom has made significant progress in four global indicators on women ’ s empowerment, including achieving first place in “achieving gender equality in enrollment in higher education ” based on the results of the“ Gender Gap ” index issued by the World Economic Forum.
In addition, the Kingdom achieved the largest improvement in the Women, Business and Law Index, a jump of 150.7% from 2017, according to the results of the World Bank ’ s Women, Business and the Law Index released in February 2021.
The Kingdom also advanced 33 places in the index of “equal pay between women and men in similar jobs, ” according to the report issued by the World Economic Forum.
With regard to equality between men and women and the fight against discrimination in employment, the labour system does not differentiate between women and men in terms of rights and duties. There is also no discrimination in remuneration when the value and quality of work is equal.
There is full equality between men and women in the job-search subsidy, as well as in the support for training and employment, there is equality in terms of the amount of support for training costs, remuneration or duration of support, as well as in the retirement age for men and women.
The Kingdom's regulations also guarantee all citizens the right to education free of charge without any discrimination, and equal access to higher education scholarship programmes.
Saudi women have proven that they have a leading role in building the economic renaissance through sustainable participation, being a key partner in building and strengthening the country ’ s capabilities and achieving sustainable economic development.
* Quotes from "Money" newspaper.
Disclaimer: All published articles represent the opinion of their authors only.

The Kingdom achieved significant economic growth in 2023, with non-oil GDP exceeding 50 percent of GDP.

Title:

Content: ECONOMY
Crown Prince: Vision 2030 is a march, not a final destination and more needs to be done
Thank you for reading the news of the Crown Prince: Vision 2030 is a march and not a final destination and more should be done and we assure you that we always seek to satisfy you and now with the details
The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers, the Emir, affirmed that the Kingdom recognized early on the importance of international cooperation, growth and energy, and worked to strengthen partnership and integration, stressing the leading role of the Kingdom in making a global impact in growth and energy.
He pointed out that Saudi Vision 2030 is a path, not a final destination, pointing out that the Kingdom ’ s current achievements are only at the beginning stage, and more should be done, which will generate many opportunities for cooperation, growth and development with various international partners.
This came during the participation of the Crown Prince yesterday in a special dialogue session within the special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh with the presence of a number of leaders of the governmental and private sectors and a number of academics and representatives of international organizations from around the world.
The special session discussed the current geopolitical and economic challenges facing the world and the Kingdom's efforts to strengthen international cooperation and act as an engine of growth within the framework of its role as a global economic hub in the Middle East region, which is a cornerstone of the global trading system.
A pivotal role
Prince Mohammed bin Salman added that the Kingdom has played a major and pivotal role in international issues by devoting all efforts to building a stronger, more robust and sustainable global system, in parallel with its great economic and social transformation, stressing that it will continue its role in making a lasting global impact. on common international issues.
Coherent economy
He stressed that the Kingdom is working with its international partners in the framework of promoting innovation, trade integration and energy security in order to reach a coherent global economy, pointing out that the Kingdom provides direct support and development investments in order to encourage economic and financial stability in the world.
A source of opportunity
Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the special meeting of the World Economic Forum has many goals that the Kingdom has worked to achieve in the sectors of economic development.
In partnership with the international community, he stressed that the Kingdom is today a source of opportunities and an incubator for innovation.
Achieving Flexibility
He stressed the Kingdom's commitment to expanding international cooperation with its international partners in order to promote inclusive development, achieve integrated economic flexibility and act as a supporting force for long-term stability, prosperity and peace in the region and the world.
Addressing the current volatile geopolitical environment, he stressed that the most important factor for achieving security, stability and economic progress was to take advantage of all opportunities and to give priority to cooperative partnerships.
Regional and global partners.
Creating Opportunities
The Crown Prince highlighted the Kingdom ’ s achievements within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030, noting that the Kingdom continues to create transformative investment opportunities in emerging sectors in various parts of its developed economy.
He discussed the comprehensive reform package implemented by the Kingdom over the past eight years with the aim of enabling the private sector enterprises to contribute to the continuous progress process, pointing to the growth of the Public Investment Fund and its plans to transform into a sovereign fund.
His fortune is in trillions of dollars.
R & D
During a discussion with the Crown Prince about the Kingdom ’ s rapidly diversified economy, he spoke about the Kingdom ’ s recent achievement, for the first time, where the Kingdom ’ s current non-oil GDP represented more than 50% of GDP in 2023, stressing the importance of investing more in the fields of research and development. Given their significant role in enabling leading national companies, including Aqua Power, Sir and Alaat, to continue their growth trajectory.
His Highness pointed out that the fields of research and development constitute a fundamental pillar that allows these companies to employ emerging technologies within their business models and promote growth in this important sector in the Kingdom.
The Crown Prince also pointed out that these efforts contributed to accelerating the pace of growth of the digital economy in the Kingdom at a faster rate.
3 times the global growth rate.
A vibrant community
He also touched on the impact of Saudi Vision 2030 on all aspects of life in the Kingdom, which has resulted in building a vibrant society.
He pointed to significant improvements in quality of life and social development, with women ’ s participation in the workforce doubling since 2016.
The most important thing the Crown Prince said:
• The Kingdom has played a major and pivotal role in international issues to build a stronger and more robust global system
• and sustainability.
• The Kingdom will continue its role in creating a lasting global impact; based on its leadership towards international issues
• Joint.
• The Kingdom is working with its international partners to promote innovation, trade integration and energy security.
• The Kingdom is now a source of opportunities and an incubator for innovation.
• The Kingdom is committed to expanding international cooperation with its partners in order to promote inclusive development.
• The Kingdom continues to create transformative investment opportunities in emerging sectors.
• Saudi Arabia ’ s non-oil GDP represented more than 50% of GDP 2023
• R & D is a key pillar that allows companies to integrate emerging technologies into their business models.
• Accelerating the growth of the digital economy in the Kingdom at a rate three times faster than the global growth rate.
• The impact of Vision 2030 on all aspects of life, resulting in the building of a vibrant society.
• Women ’ s participation in the labor force has doubled since 2016.
Saudi Vision 2030 is a march, not a final destination.
• The achievements of the current Kingdom are only at the beginning, and more needs to be done.
This was the details of the news of the Crown Prince: Vision 2030 is a march and not a final destination and more should be done for this day we hope that we have succeeded by giving you the details and full information and to follow all our news you can subscribe to the alerts system or in one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
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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

The Vision 2030 plan has 243 indicators, with 176 exceeding 2023 expectations and 105 exceeding both 2023 and 2024 targets.

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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The plan aims to raise the private sector's GDP contribution to 65 percent by 2030, with foreign direct investment already reaching $33 billion.

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 diversify Saudi Arabia's economy
To attract foreign investment

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

The Saudi government has limited the powers of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to reduce Wahhabi influence.

Title:

Content: In June, Saudi Arabia, along with two other Gulf states and Egypt, began putting pressure on Qatar on the grounds that Doha was providing financial support for international terrorism.
Saudi Arabia ’ s statements against Qatar could be taken as a joke, given that Riyadh itself has long financed the spread of fundamentalist Salafi Islam, which is often associated with extremism, writes Ayaan Hirsi Ali in an article for The New York Times.
Ivan Shilov IA REGNUM
The Saudis
On the one hand, Saudi Arabia ’ s actions against Qatar can be called a classic example of “whose cow is moaning ”.
On the other hand, Riyadh could use the smokescreen of the diplomatic crisis around Qatar to divert attention from the growing tensions within its own kingdom.
See also: Asia Times: US and China do not face the danger of the “Thucydides trap ”
The newly appointed crown prince of the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, has promised to modernize the country ’ s economy, which includes measures to diversify the national economy to reduce its dependence on oil prices, expand trade, increase employment and eliminate some restrictions in public life.
However, within Saudi Arabia there are two factors that could put all plans of the crown prince in jeopardy.
First, the crown prince has a rival who can challenge him.
This is the former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef Al Saud, whom in November 2017 Mohammed bin Salman placed under house arrest and froze all his bank accounts.
The current crown prince has taken a very bold step, even by the standards of the royal dynasty.
However, Mohammed bin Nayef, who previously headed the secret intelligence of Saudi Arabia, can be a very dangerous enemy.
Ivan Shilov IA REGNUM
Saudi Arabia
Second, Mohammed bin Salman ’ s grand strategic reform plan, known as Vision 2030, poses a direct threat to the prestige and authority of the Wahhabi clergy in Saudi Arabia.
The clergy have influence, and they have a motive to try to thwart the Crown Prince ’ s plans.
If private enterprise begins to strengthen its position through reforms, the resources and influence of the clergy will decrease, therefore, the opportunities for retaining control over the kingdom will be reduced.
For centuries, the royal family relied on the support of the Wahhabi clergy to ensure the religious legitimacy of the ruling dynasty.
If modernization threatens to destroy the authority of the clergy, how long will it remain submissive to the crown prince?
Earlier, the crown prince made it clear that the influence of the clergy could become an obstacle to economic growth and reduce the dependence of the Saudi economy on oil.
In case of resistance of the clergy, the Crown Prince promised to take appropriate measures.
Most likely, the clergy will begin to openly resist the Westernization of the country with the same zeal with which Saudi Arabia seeks to attract foreign investors.
Since 1973, the Saudi government and its semi-official “charities ” have spent billions of dollars spreading Wahhabi ideology abroad.
The continuation of such a policy would be detrimental to the efforts of the international community to combat radicalization.
Saudi clerics have a powerful social network that provides a direct link to their supporters across the country.
The clergy can use this platform to undermine the plans of the Crown Prince and the position of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
In this regard, there is a risk of fomenting unrest in a country with a high youth unemployment rate.
In an effort to stifle dissent, in September 2017, Saudi Arabia detained several influential clerics who opposed Saudi Arabia ’ s position on Qatar.
In November, the fight continued, only under the guise of anti-corruption purges, in which more than 200 officials, large businessmen and members of the royal family were detained.
See also: “On whom should the US make the main bet in the Middle East? ”
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia ’ s Wahhabi clerics have extensive ties to Islamist organizations around the world.
Qatar can use these ties to discredit the crown prince in the eyes of international public opinion.
As a response to diverting attention from Saudi Arabia, Riyadh may intensify the conflict with Qatar.
The stakes are very high.
If the crown prince manages to carry out modernization, it will strike a blow to radical Islamism.
If modernization plans fail, the country could roll back several decades, continuing to export extremism abroad.
From the point of view of most Middle Eastern political players, any compromise is seen as a disgrace to the country.
Instead of accepting an ultimatum from Saudi Arabia, such as closing the news agency and severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Qatar has only strengthened its alliance with Iran and Turkey.
Back in June 2017, the diplomatic crisis around Qatar seemed like a minor event in the Middle East, in 2018 it could trigger a big conflict.

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 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?

Combating extremist and ideological thinking

The Commission now focuses on awareness campaigns and promoting ethics, without intervening in inappropriate behaviors.

Title:

Content: Reforms marginalize Saudi Arabia ’ s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue
Reforms marginalize Saudi Arabia ’ s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue
The role of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue in Saudi Arabia has diminished after the reforms initiated by the authorities following the accession of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, where its role is limited to campaigns to raise awareness of ethics and confront the epidemic of COVID-19 and others after it represented a kind of religious police.
RIYADH – Saudi Arabia ’ s reforms following Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ’ s tenure have increasingly sidelined the role of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue (CPVPV).
The body, which resembles the religious police, had 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.
Comprehensive repairs
Ahmed bin Qasim Al-Ghamdi: The greatest mistake of the Commission was that it was following the individual mistakes of the people
Faisal, a Saudi teacher, decided to leave the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in order to preserve its marginalization in recent years, while the Kingdom is witnessing an unprecedented opening coinciding with a campaign of religious and social reforms.
Faisal, a pseudonym, 37, who resigned months ago from the commission, said: “All of our authority has been taken away and we have no clear role at all. ”
The bearded man said in a meeting in eastern Riyadh: “Everything I was working to prevent him became completely legal, 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, added sarcastically, “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, ” he said, 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 large 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."
“We are no longer allowed to intervene and change any behaviors we once considered inappropriate, ” he said, noting that many continue to work“ for the sake of salary only. ”
In the past, the authority had considerable powers, including ensuring that people applied the rules of public decency and prohibited mixing, which included the right to request their personal documents, stalk them and arrest them.
The group ’ s cars roamed the streets, making sure women wore the black cloak exclusively, stalking people in cafes and malls and forcing shops to close during prayers.
Saud Al-Kateb: The work of the Commission has undergone a radical change, its role must be limited
Gradually, the would-be protesters disappeared from the streets, while the area of personal freedoms granted to the population, especially women, increased.
With the reduction of its role in the street, the Commission is finally launching campaigns to raise awareness of ethics, confront the epidemic and warn against seditious people, from digital screens, billboards in the streets and social media platforms.
Many of its members now spend the majority of their time in their offices without touching people in the streets, reflecting its diminished influence in the kingdom, especially among hardliners.
"The commission has become isolated," said a Saudi official, who asked not to be named, pointing to "a significant reduction in the number of its members, especially those who are not qualified to invite."
The exact number of its members is not known, but sources estimate that there are about 5,000 in the kingdom, where more than half of the population is under the age of 35, according to data released in 2020.
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.
The 26-year-old said while smoking with her colleague in central Riyadh during a break from work: “We didn ’ t even think about smoking in the street years ago. ”
“They were going to beat us with bamboo, ” she added, laughing, referring to the thin sticks used by the authority ’ s subordinates to river the 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 that it was following people ’ s individual mistakes, ” which he said“ had a negative impact ” on its image.
The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue, Abdulrahman al-Sindh, admitted in an October interview with the state television station Al-Akhbari that the Commission had previously committed “irregularities. ”
Al-Sindh, a university professor, attributed that the members of the commission were practicing “security issues without any reference, background or prior qualification. ”
He stressed that the Shariah of Muslims 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 criticised for its crackdown on women, plans to “recruit women ” into its ranks in the near future, Sindh said.
The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue admitted that the Commission had committed violations in the past, pointing out that its members were practicing security issues without any reference.
The Saudi writer Saud al-Kateb said that "the work of the Commission has undergone a significant and radical change," noting that "its role must be limited and does not exceed the role of the official regulatory bodies."
It was not clear whether the reduction in the Authority's powers was accompanied by a reduction in its annual budget.
In 2018, the Shura Council overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to merge the body into the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, citing the need for it to continue to fight drugs.
Stéphane Lacroix, a professor at the Institute of Political Science in Paris, ruled out Saudi Arabia ’ s move to disband the commission.
“The body remains a sign of a distinct Saudi identity with which many conservative Saudis are associated.
“The most likely thing is to continue to reposition its role. ”
arabic

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.

The international community, including the IMF, has welcomed Saudi Arabia's economic reforms.

Title:

Content: Saudi Arabia
Our office in Riyadh and Arab Revenue Mobilization
Kristalina Georgieva
Posted in: Last Updated:
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The Arab region is playing an increasingly important role in a rapidly changing world.
This is reflected in the depth and quality of our engagements.
For the future, ministers from the region will steer the direction of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – with Husseini serving as chair of the Development Committee and Jadaan serving as chair of the International Monetary and Financial Committee.
The Arab world ’ s assumption of leadership of both Committees is another milestone in the region ’ s global leadership.
At a time of economic challenges, geopolitical tensions and war, it is critical that we now sow the seeds of growth, cooperation, peace and prosperity.
The medium-term growth outlook remains weak at around 3%, compared to the historical average of around 3.8%.
It can be enhanced by factors such as developments in artificial intelligence.
But with about 40 percent of jobs exposed to AI – both globally and in the Arab world – its effects are uncertain.
Economically, the impact of the conflict was devastating in Gaza, where activity fell by 80% from October to December compared to the previous year – and in the West Bank by 22%.
The dire outlook for the Palestinian economy is getting worse as the conflict continues, and only a lasting peace and a political solution will fundamentally change it.
Looking at neighbouring economies, the conflict is affecting tourism, which is a lifeline for many.
Across the region and beyond, the impact is seen in rising shipping costs and falling transit volumes in the Red Sea – down almost 50% this year.
The first way to feed the tree is to raise revenue.
Countries can expand their tax capacity with stronger institutions, better designed frameworks and stronger revenue collection.
Designing tax policy is key.
Many countries have improved their VAT systems.
Some countries have expanded personal income taxes — which are underutilized in the region — and made them more progressive.
Eleven Arab countries have already joined the Global Minimum Tax Agreement on Corporate.- Other indirect taxes, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have promoted e-invoices.
Boosting compliance can pay off tremendously!
Second, we can plant the tree by eliminating regressive energy subsidies.
Our paper shows that phasing out explicit energy subsidies could save $336 billion in the region — equivalent to the combined economies of Iraq and Libya — including oil-exporting countries.
The third way to feed the financial tree is to improve the performance of state-owned enterprises.
State-owned companies in the Arab world own a lot of assets, with assets exceeding 50% or even 100% of GDP in some countries.
The results?
The debt of state-owned enterprises fell from 41% of GDP in 2021 to 30% in 2022.
We have provided some $64 billion in liquidity and reserves to the Middle East and North Africa region since the onset of the pandemic, including $8 billion last year.
Of that amount, $1.6 billion comes from our latest tools.
Together with the World Bank, we have provided $4.5 billion in debt relief for Somalia, the culmination of years of reconstruction.
We have also strengthened capacity development across the region, and our new office in Riyadh (International Monetary Fund) is strengthening our presence and partnerships with Arab institutions.
* Quoted from "Economic Journal".
Disclaimer: All published articles represent the opinion of their authors only.
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What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?

The IMF commended Saudi Arabia's efforts to promote private sector growth.

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

The reforms have faced criticism for not adequately addressing the country's human rights record.

Title:

Content: Despite the government ’ s alleged reforms,
Widespread violations of women ’ s rights in Saudi Arabia
Sunday 01 January 2023 - 05: 52 GMT
The widespread German network Deutsche Welle has highlighted the persistence of widespread violations of women ’ s rights in Saudi Arabia despite alleged government reforms.
World - Saudi Arabia
Saudi authorities continue to discriminate against women as second-class citizens with an unchanging authoritarian guardianship system and strict disobedience laws and rules that restrict the rights of unmarried women.
Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched the so-called “social and economic reform ” dubbed Vision 2030 in April 2016, the status of women has changed dramatically, with the network seeing that some laws were in favor of women and others headed for the worse.
While women activists like Loujain al-Hathloul were jailed for three years following a drive for women to drive, the relevant legislation was changed in 2018 — and according to research firm Statista — within a year and a half, more than 175,000 women applied.
Driving license in Riyadh.
Other laws have been amended since 2018, meaning women are now allowed to apply for a passport without the consent of a male guardian and go to cinemas with their boyfriends.
Lina al-Hathloul, the sister of women ’ s activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who is the head of communications and surveillance at the London-based ALQST Human Rights Organisation, said: “The regime of repression is still in place ” in Saudi Arabia.
Because of the male guardianship system, girls and women still rely on male guardian consent for most decisions.
In case of disobedience, these guardians, who could be fathers, husbands, brothers or sons, are entitled to be sent to so-called “care homes ” — forever, al-Hathloul said.
Moreover, this year, three court rulings starkly emphasized the Saudi ambivalence between men and women.
In January, a court in the city convicted Yasser M.
Verbal sexual harassment of a woman.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison and a fine of 5,000 rials (1,265 euros / $1,330).
Yasir M was one of the first cases to be convicted following the tightening of Saudi legislation to combat sexual harassment in 2019.
But in August, PhD student Salma al-Shehab, 34, was sentenced to 34 years in prison, and a month later Noura bint Saeed al-Qahtani was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Both were convicted of retweeting human rights calls.
“The result is fear — people no longer know what the red lines are, ” said al-Hathloul. For her, the liberation of women ’ s rights over the past four years is nowhere near what Saudi women really want.
“We want to live in Saudi Arabia without fear and be able to claim our rights. ”
According to the 2019 Women, Peace and Security Index (WPS), Saudi Arabia ranks lowest globally.
According to the index, female labor force participation remains low across the region despite a rapid rise in female education rates and improved access to health care.
Women hold only 16 per cent of legislative seats in MENA countries compared to 25 per cent globally.
Certain States actively suppress women's rights by persecuting women's rights activists.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Saudi Arabia, where authorities arbitrarily arrest and detain women ’ s rights leaders with impunity.
The authorities of the House of Saud, a legitimate permanent resident of the United States, arrested Aziza al-Yousef in May 2018 on charges related to her peaceful human rights activism.
Despite her provisional release in March 2019, Ms. Al-Yousef cannot leave the Kingdom due to pending charges in court.
Source: Saudi Leaks

The Saudi government has been criticized for arresting women's rights activists.

The government remains committed to Vision 2030, implementing reforms to promote development and reduce poverty.

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Content: ...
...
...
...
Economy of Saudi Arabia
The general budget.
Greater commitment to stimulating the economy
Abdulhamid Al-Omari
Posted in: Last Updated:
The objectives and figures included in the preliminary statement of the budget 2023 focused on confirming the government ’ s commitment to continue implementing programs and projects with economic and social returns to achieve the Kingdom ’ s Vision 2030, and the continuous endeavor based on empowering the private sector to support economic diversification through continuous efforts to improve the business environment and overcome existing obstacles that qualify it to be an attractive and competitive business environment. in the future and in the medium term.
This is the approach that the government has succeeded in the last two years during and after the global pandemic, relying on the implementation of several initiatives supporting all economic activities, in conjunction with the completion of structural reforms and redoubling efforts to enable economic transformation. In line with the government ’ s efforts to promote the growth of local investment by establishing and building more partnerships with the private sector, expanding them as widely as possible, and rehabilitating them to all regions of the Kingdom, in addition to continuing efforts to improve and develop laws and policies, which contributed to the Kingdom ’ s progress in the ease of doing business indicators. In the future, to ensure the continuation of performance and economic growth, and to achieve the financial and economic targets for 2023.
The proactive measures taken by the Kingdom, such as placing ceilings on the prices of some petroleum products "gasoline", have been able to contain the largest amount of inflation and thus reduce the impact of price increases, paving the way for the return of inflation in the medium term perspective to normal levels. The Citizen Account, the Small Livestock Support Programme, as well as the allocation of more resources to support the expansion of strategic commodity stocks and ensure that they are available enough to cope with the repercussions of rising global prices.
The above broad efforts resulted in raising the economic growth rate at the end of the first half of this year to 12.2% as the highest growth rate in a decade, the real growth of non-oil activities rose at an annual rate of 8.2%, and the unemployment rate among citizens fell for the eighth consecutive quarter to 9.7% by the end of the second quarter of this year (4.7% for males and 19.3% for females), as the lowest unemployment rate among citizens in 20 years. “Since 2002, ” he said,“ all of this came under significant control over inflation, which was the lowest in the G20 and certainly the lowest in comparison to the record wave of inflation over four decades ago in most economies around the world. ”
To maintain these achievements and push them to higher levels, the latest preliminary statement was to emphasize more rational government spending, relying on the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has increased its investments in several promising areas and sectors, including the tourism and hospitality sector such as the Red Sea project, the launch of a boutique group specialized in luxury hotel hospitality, as well as its investments in the food and agriculture sector through the expansion of SALIC and the launch of Saudi Coffee Company. In May of this year, the fund also worked to promote digital transformation and the development of the local real estate sector, through the launch of the National Real Estate Registration Services Company in September.
The latest introductory statement affirmed the government ’ s aim to complete the economic and financial reforms undertaken under Vision 2030 and maintain financial sustainability, including adopting fiscal policies that contribute to maintaining financial sustainability, developing public financial management and raising the quality of financial planning to promote economic growth and more efficient use of resources.
In the medium term, fiscal policy aims to strengthen the Kingdom ’ s fiscal position, which enhances its resilience to potential external shocks by maintaining government reserve levels at appropriate levels and sustaining public debt indicators.
It can be confirmed that the budget for the next fiscal year reflects very high levels of progress in the implementation of programs and projects that support economic growth and diversification, improve public services, and strengthen programs of welfare and social protection systems, while preserving the gains achieved over the past years on the fiscal side.
In conclusion, the State launched giant strategies "National Tourism Development Strategy, FinTech Strategy, National Investment Strategy, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques External Scholarship Program Strategy, National Culture Strategy, Gaming and eSports Sector Strategy, National Transportation and Logistics Strategy", and also launched giant projects "NEOM Project, The Line Project, Red Sea Project, Qiddiya Project, Green Riyadh Project, Riyadh Art Project, and King Salman Park Project" These mega strategies and projects have joined previous mega strategies and initiatives, which will be integrated and joint work on their completion as planned, all in order to make a qualitative and tangible shift according to the scope of each strategy, which will provide the national economy with more stimulus and support, in addition to increasing its legitimate chances of growth and prosperity.
God is reconciled.
* Quoted from "Economic Journal"
Disclaimer: All published articles represent the opinion of their authors only.
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What has MBS done since becoming Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia?