As the Saudis celebrate the fifth anniversary of the pledge of allegiance to Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as Crown Prince, observers find it difficult to monitor and assess the rapid transformations that the Kingdom has witnessed over the past five years, which all point to an endeavor to “build the state of the future” in the midst of extremely difficult global, regional and local conditions.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has become one of the most influential leaders in the world, affirmed that international cooperation was now more important than ever in order to overcome the increasing challenges facing the entire globe.
In this context, Saudi Arabia maintained its support for international efforts to restore global peace and stability, based on the Crown Prince’s conviction that development could only be achieved in a climate of peace and the elimination of sources of conflict and extremism.
In fact, Saudi Arabia ranked third among the largest donors of humanitarian aid in the world for the year 2021, according to the United Nations global tracking platform.
The Kingdom has also sought to support efforts to combat climate change.
In remarks before the meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington last week, Saudi Finance Minister Muhammad Abdullah Al-Jadaan stressed the importance of prudent climate policies to ensure the stability of energy markets for a just transition to a green economy, highlighting in this regard his country’s commitment to achieving the goal of zero emissions by 2060 through the circular carbon economy.
Al-Jadaan said he expected the Saudi economy to witness stronger than expected economic growth in 2022 in the non-oil sector, supported by structural reforms within the framework of Vision 2030.
He also stressed his country’s commitment to vigilant policies to maintain monetary and financial stability while accelerating structural reforms to enhance resilience in the face of external shocks.
Several weeks ago, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who heads the Human Capacity Development Program Committee, launched the strategy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program; with the aim of developing human capabilities and achieving the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The Crown Prince also launched the strategy of the National Development Fund, with the aim of supporting sustainable development in all economic sectors and serving development priorities and economic needs.
The fund has pumped more than 690 billion riyals through its affiliates since its establishment.
In a desert country with little rain and water scarcity, the Saudi leadership has fostered the water security of the population by inaugurating the world’s largest floating water desalination plant as part of a set of projects to enhance water distribution in all regions of Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Crown Prince was also keen on women's empowerment. In this regard, the Saudi leadership approved the establishment of the Sarah Al-Sudairy Center for Women’s Studies at Noura Bint Abdul Rahman University, with the aim of enhancing the role of women and their participation in society, and supporting scientific research projects and their efforts in national development.
A royal grant was allocated by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to support the center.
