Saudi Gazette report

NEW YORK — Saudi Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim affirmed that Vision 2030 has made Saudi Arabia the fastest-advancing G20 nation in sustainable development indicators over the past decade.

Speaking at the 2025 UN High-Level Political Forum in New York, Al-Ibrahim emphasized the urgency of deep, action-driven reforms as the world approaches the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. “Progress alone is not enough,” he said, warning that development confined to intentions fails to drive real change.

He stressed the need for a sharper global focus on urgent priorities, with impact-oriented strategies that deliver tangible, sustainable outcomes.

Revisiting a call Saudi Arabia made at last year’s forum, Al-Ibrahim reiterated the Kingdom’s proposal for a new development framework built on three principles: channeling resources toward the most pressing challenges, designing scalable and adaptable solutions across national contexts, and grounding decisions in robust, evidence-based data.

He announced that Saudi Arabia has launched a new national sustainable development blueprint rooted in local innovation, citing the Medina Sustainable Development Atlas as a global model. The atlas covers all 17 neighborhoods in the city, offering policymakers access to detailed, scenario-based data to guide strategic planning.

Al-Ibrahim pledged continued collaboration with global partners to turn commitments into outcomes and ambitions into reality, adding: “What the world lacks today is not ambition, but focus, cooperation, and bold implementation.”

He concluded by affirming that achieving results is within reach—urging stakeholders to build on past progress with renewed momentum.