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SAC Ensures Global Foothold of Saudi Quality Control

Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi. Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi. Asharq Al-Awsat
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SAC Ensures Global Foothold of Saudi Quality Control

Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi. Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Saudi cabinet has approved granting the Saudi Accreditation Committee independence, rebranding it as the Saudi Accreditation Center (SAC).

Such a move is set to widen the horizon and reinforce the center’s performance and works.

SAC is a new platform aimed at increasing quality control for services and products offered in the Kingdom, contributing more to achieving the objectives of Kingdom Vision 2030.

It is expected to contribute indirectly to achieving four of the first level targets for Vision 2030: Developing and diversifying the economy, enhancing government effectiveness, enabling a healthy living, and increasing employment rates.

Over the past years, SAC has been responsible for the policy-making process when it comes to accreditation regulations, as well as the granting, renewing, freezing, withdrawing, expanding and limiting accreditation for certification-issuing third parties.

Saudi Trade and Investment Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi noted that the SAC rebranding and structural shakeup will aid the Kingdom in taking longer strides towards completing a reliable and impartial national quality-regulation infrastructure with international recognition.

“Independent accreditation is an essential step in the right direction to avoid conflicts of interest, ensure the integrity of national infrastructure activities for quality, and gain international recognition,” Qasabi said.

Qasabi also affirmed SAC will indirectly contribute to developing and diversifying the economy and enhancing institutional efficiency.

This follows SAC successfully accomplishing digitization for all its accreditation activity, which has contributed significantly to enabling beneficiaries, residents and committee members to access the Commission's services, complete accreditation procedures and follow-up online.

This has significantly reduced the period of processing from an average of 260 days, when the system is introduced in 2016, to 175 days in 2018.

The national accreditation body holds core values of impartiality, integrity, competency and teamwork spirit and looks to partake in developing the Kingdom’s economy by raising the level of technical competency, establishing conformity in terms of certification-granting bodies and insuring better consumer protection. 

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FAO Aims for Key Outcomes at COP16 in Saudi Arabia

Preparations in the Saudi capital ahead of hosting the COP16 conference on combating desertification (from the “COP16” page on the X platform)
Preparations in the Saudi capital ahead of hosting the COP16 conference on combating desertification (from the “COP16” page on the X platform)
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FAO Aims for Key Outcomes at COP16 in Saudi Arabia

Preparations in the Saudi capital ahead of hosting the COP16 conference on combating desertification (from the “COP16” page on the X platform)
Preparations in the Saudi capital ahead of hosting the COP16 conference on combating desertification (from the “COP16” page on the X platform)

Dr. Abdul Hakim Elwaer, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), stated that the organization will take an active role at COP16, the UN conference on combating desertification, scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in early December.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he expressed confidence that the conference—the first of its kind in the Middle East—would produce significant outcomes.

Elwaer’s comments came during a roundtable organized by FAO’s regional office in Cairo, attended by a select group of media representatives. The session focused on FAO’s participation in the upcoming conference and the importance of the Rio Trio —the integrated framework of the three major UN conventions addressing climate change, biodiversity conservation, and desertification.

Fida Haddad, FAO’s Program Officer for Land Rehabilitation and Climate Change, highlighted the interconnectedness of the three conventions and noted that COP16 would place a strong emphasis on land and water rehabilitation and their sustainable management.

Haddad pointed out that approximately 90% of the Middle East is affected by arid conditions. Despite this, local communities and Arab governments have made notable progress in addressing desertification and drought. She also announced that, for the first time, FAO has successfully placed food systems on the COP16 agenda, enabling discussions on how land rehabilitation can enhance food supply chains and systems.

Elwaer underscored FAO’s central role in achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): eradicating hunger. He emphasized that FAO actively engages in the UN conventions on climate change, biodiversity, and desertification, which collectively contribute to this mission.

FAO’s focus, according to Elwaer, is on transforming food and agricultural systems to become more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable, aiming for better production, nutrition, and livelihoods. He highlighted the organization’s success in integrating these priorities into the agendas of the three conventions and collaborating with host countries on joint initiatives.

He further noted that Saudi Arabia’s hosting of COP16 is particularly significant for the region, which faces pressing challenges such as water scarcity, desertification, and food insecurity. The conference presents an opportunity for Middle Eastern nations to highlight these issues, explore solutions, and ensure their inclusion in global environmental discussions, not only at this event but in future COP sessions, he underlined.

Elwaer emphasized the growing global attention on desertification, as it is now impacting regions previously unaffected, such as southern Europe and parts of Latin America. These areas are witnessing alarming declines in arable land and forests, prompting them to seek lessons from the Arab world, which has developed resilience strategies to combat desertification over centuries.

FAO will have a strong presence at COP16, with two dedicated pavilions—one in the Blue Zone for official delegations and another in the Green Zone to engage civil society and conference participants, he said.

He added that in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and the UN, FAO will lead coordination on Food Day and Governance Day, scheduled for December 5 and 6, respectively. The organization will also participate in other specialized sessions throughout the conference.