A VIBRANT SOCIETY.. WITH STRONG ROOTS
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Rise in the number of pilgrims from 8 million to 30 million pilgrims
Increase number of registered archaeological sites in UNESCO from 4 to 8 the least
To more than double the number of Saudi heritage sites registered with UNESCO
To increase our capacity to welcome Umrah visitors from 8 million to 30 million every year
AMONG OUR GOALS BY
2030
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AMONG OUR COMMITMENTS..
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THE HONOR TO SERVE THE INCREASING NUMBER OF UMRAH VISITORS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE
We are honored to attend to pilgrims and Umrah visitors’ needs, fulfilling a role bestowed on us by Allah. Our expansion of the Two Holy Mosques has led to a tripling in the number of foreign Umrah visitors over the last decade, reaching eight million in 2015. By increasing the capacity and by improving the quality of the services offered to Umrah visitors, we will, by 2020, make it possible for over 15 million Muslims per year to perform Umrah and be completely satisfied with their pilgrimage experience. We will achieve this by improving visa application procedures which will smooth the visa process with the aim of full automation. We will also further integrate e-services into the pilgrims’ journey, which will enrich the religious and cultural experience. Both the public and private sectors will play a crucial role in this project as we work to upgrade accommodation, improve hospitality and launch new services for pilgrims.
THE LARGEST ISLAMIC MUSEUM
We have always taken – and will continue to take – great pride in our heritage. Mohammad, the Last of Prophets, Peace Be Upon Him, was from Makkah, the birthplace of Islam. Medina is where the first Islamic society was born. We will build an Islamic museum in accordance with the highest global standards, equipped with the latest methods in collection, preservation, presentation and documentation. It will be a major landmark for our citizens and visitors, where they will learn about the history of Islam, enjoy interactive experiences and participate in cultural events. Using modern technology, visitors to the museum will take an immersive journey through the different ages of Islamic civilization, as well as its science, scholars and culture. It will also be an international hub for erudition and include a world-class library and research center.
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PROMOTING CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT
We consider culture and entertainment indispensable to our quality of life. We are well aware that the cultural and entertainment opportunities currently available do not reflect the rising aspirations of our citizens and residents, nor are they in harmony with our prosperous economy. It is why we will support the efforts of regions, governorates, non-profit and private sectors to organize cultural events. We intend to enhance the role of government funds, while also attracting local and international investors, creating partnerships with international entertainment corporations. Land suitable for cultural and entertainment projects will be provided and talented writers, authors and directors will be carefully supported. We will seek to offer a variety of cultural venues – such as libraries, arts and museums – as well as entertainment possibilities to suit tastes and preferences. These projects will also contribute to our economy and will result in the creation of many job opportunities.
THE HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT OF CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS IS IMPORTANT TO US. THIS CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH PROMOTING PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING. AT THE HEART
LIVING HEALTHY, BEING HEALTHY
A healthy and balanced lifestyle is an essential mainstay of a high quality of life. Yet opportunities for the regular practice of sports have often been limited. This will change. We intend to encourage widespread and regular participation in sports and athletic activities, working in partnership with the private sector to establish additional dedicated facilities and programs. This will enable citizens and residents to engage in a wide variety of sports and leisure pursuits. We aspire to excel in sport and be among the leaders in selected sports regionally and globally.
A VIBRANT SOCIETY.. WITH FULFILLING LIVES
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DEVELOPING OUR CITIES
Our cities already enjoy high levels of security and development. Despite the current turmoil in the region and the wide expanse of our territories, our country and citizens are safe and secure. Our cities are among the safest in the world with annual crime rates that are less than 0.8 per 100,000 people, far below the international rate of 7.6. We will maintain our safety and security by supporting ongoing efforts to fight drugs abuse, as well as by adopting further measures to ensure traffic safety, reduce traffic accidents and minimize their tragic consequences. Our cities have grown significantly in recent decades; a growth which has been accompanied by the steady development of their infrastructure. To ensure we can continue to enhance the quality of life for all and meet the needs and requirements of our citizens, we will continue to ensure high quality services such as water, electricity, public transport and roads are properly provided. Open and landscaped areas will also be developed further, to meet the recreational needs of individuals and families.
ACHIEVING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
By preserving our environment and natural resources, we fulfill our Islamic, human and moral duties. Preservation is also our responsibility to future generations and essential to the quality of our daily lives. We will seek to safeguard our environment by increasing the efficiency of waste management, establishing comprehensive recycling projects, reducing all types of pollution and fighting desertification. We will also promote the optimal use of our water resources by reducing consumption and utilizing treated and renewable water. We will direct our efforts towards protecting and rehabilitating our beautiful beaches, natural reserves and islands, making them open to everyone. We will seek the participation of the private sector and government funds in these efforts.
OF OUR VISION IS A SOCIETY IN WHICH ALL ENJOY A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE, A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND AN ATTRACTIVE LIVING ENVIRONMENT
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A VIBRANT SOCIETY.. WITH FULFILLING LIVES
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Naming three Saudi cities Among the top 100 cities In terms of quality of life*
Polarization of household spending on culture And entertainment into the kingdom to rise from % 2.9 to 6%
Increase percentage of sports practitioners At least weekly from 13% to 40%
Naming three Saudi cities Among the top 100 cities In terms of quality of life*
To increase the ratio of individuals exercising at least once a week from 13% of population to 40%
To increase household spending on cultural and entertainment activities inside the Kingdom from the current level of 2.9% to 6%
To have three Saudi cities be recognized in the top-ranked 100 cities in the world
AMONG OUR GOALS BY
2030
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AMONG OUR COMMITMENTS..
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By 2020, there will be more than 450 registered and professionally organized amateur clubs providing a variety of cultural activities and entertainment events.
“DAEM” MEANINGFUL ENTERTAINMENT FOR CITIZENS
We will increase the number and variety of cultural and entertainment activities with the aim of opening dedicated venues to showcase our citizens’ myriad talents. We will also review our regulations to simplify the establishment and registration of amateur, social and cultural clubs. We will launch and provide the necessary financial support for “Daem”, a national program to enhance the quality of cultural activities and entertainment. The program will create a national network of clubs, encourage the exchange of knowledge and international experiences and promote better awareness of a wide range of hobbies and leisure activities.
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CARING FOR OUR FAMILIES
Families are the key building block of a society, protecting it from social breakdown across generations, and acting as both its children’s sanctuary and the main provider of their needs. One of the defining characteristics of the Kingdom is its adherence to Islamic principles and values, together with the unity and extended family relations. Building on these key characteristics, we will provide our families with all the necessary support to take care of their children and develop their talents and abilities. In particular, we want to deepen the participation of parents in the education process, to help them develop their children’s characters and talents so that they can contribute fully to society. Families will also be encouraged to adopt a planning culture, to plan carefully for their future and the futures of their children. We recognize each family’s aspiration to own a home and the important role ownership plays in strengthening family security. Even though 47 percent of Saudi families already own their homes, we aim to increase this rate by five percentage points by 2020. This would be a substantial achievement given the high increase in the number of new entrants to the housing market. We will meet this target by introducing a number of laws and regulations; encouraging the private sector to build houses; and providing funding, mortgage solutions and ownership schemes that meet the needs of our citizens.
OUR GOAL IS TO PROMOTE AND REINVIGORATE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN ORDER TO BUILD A STRONG AND PRODUCTIVE SOCIETY. WE WILL STRENGTHEN OUR FAMILIES,
DEVELOPING OUR CHILDREN’S CHARACTER
We intend to embed positive moral beliefs in our children’s characters from an early age by reshaping our academic and educational system. Schools, working with families, will reinforce the fabric of society by providing students with the compassion, knowledge, and behaviors necessary for resilient and independent characters to emerge. The focus will be on the fundamental values of initiative, persistence and leadership, as well as social skills, cultural knowledge and self-awareness. We will also promote cultural, social, volunteering and athletic activities through empowering our educational, cultural and entertainment institutions.
A VIBRANT SOCIETY.. WITH STRONG FOUNDATIONS
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EMPOWERING OUR SOCIETY
We will continue modernizing our social welfare system to make it more efficient, empowering and just. Subsidies for fuel, food, water and electricity will be better utilized by redirecting them towards those in need. We will provide our most vulnerable citizens with tailored care and support. Together with the private sector and non-governmental organizations, we will offer preparation and training to those unable to find employment so they can smoothly join the workforce whenever possible.
CARING FOR OUR HEALTH
Our health care system has benefited from substantive investment in recent decades. As a result, we now have 2.2 hospital beds for every 1,000 people, world- class medical specialists with average life expectancy rising from 66 years to 74 years in the past three decades. We are determined to optimize and better utilize the capacity of our hospitals and health care centers, and enhance the quality of our preventive and therapeutic health care services. The public sector will focus on promoting preventive care, on reducing infectious diseases and in encouraging citizens to make use of primary care as a first step. It will deepen collaboration and integration between health and social care, as well as supporting families to provide home care when necessary for their relatives. The public sector will focus on its planning, regulatory and supervisory roles in health care. We intend to provide our health care through public corporations both to enhance its quality and to prepare for the benefits of privatization in the longer term. We will work towards developing private medical insurance to improve access to medical services and reduce waiting times for appointments with specialists and consultants. Our doctors will be given better training to improve treatment for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer that threaten our nation’s health.
PROVIDE THE EDUCATION THAT BUILDS OUR CHILDREN’S FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERS AND ESTABLISH EMPOWERING HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE SYSTEMS
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A VIBRANT SOCIETY.. WITH STRONG FOUNDATIONS
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Raise Social capital index from position 26 to position 10
Increase the average of life expectancy from 74 to 80 years
To increase the average life expectancy from 74 years to 80 years
To raise our position from 26 to 10 in the Social Capital index
AMONG OUR GOALS BY
2030
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AMONG OUR COMMITMENTS..
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“IRTIQAA” A MORE PROMINENT ROLE FOR FAMILIES IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN
The engagement of parents in their children’s education is one of the main principles of success. Our goal by 2020 is for 80 percent of parents to be engaged in school activities and the learning process of their children. We will launch the “Irtiqaa” program, which will measure how effectively schools are engaging parents in their children’s education. We will establish parent-led boards in schools, to open discussion forums and further engage with parents. Teachers will receive training to raise their awareness of the importance of communicating with parents and equip them with effective methods to do so successfully. We will also collaborate with private and non-profit sectors to offer innovative educational programs and events that can improve this academic partnership.
CORPORATIZATION: EFFICIENT AND HIGH QUALITY HEALTH CARE
Our goal is to enhance the standard and quality of health care services. Our aim is a health care sector that promotes competition and transparency among providers. This will enhance the capability, efficiency and productivity of care and treatment and increase the options available to our citizens. To achieve this goal, we will introduce corporatization into the sector by transferring the responsibility for health care provision to a network of public companies that compete both against each other and against the private sector. This will provide our citizens with the highest quality of health care while, at the same time, allowing the government to focus on its legislative, regulatory and supervisory roles. Corporatization shall also promote and prioritize specialization in health care services and enable citizens to choose their preferred service provider.
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A THRIVING ECONOMY
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LEARNING FOR WORKING
We will continue investing in education and training so that our young men and women are equipped for the jobs of the future. We want Saudi children, wherever they live, to enjoy higher quality, multi-faceted education. We will invest particularly in developing early childhood education, refining our national curriculum and training our teachers and educational leaders. We will also redouble efforts to ensure that the outcomes of our education system are in line with market needs. We have launched the National Labor Gateway (TAQAT), and we plan to establish sector councils that will precisely determine the skills and knowledge required by each socio-economic sector. We will also expand vocational training in order to drive forward economic development. Our scholarship opportunities will be steered towards prestigious international universities and be awarded in the fields that serve our national priorities. We will also focus on innovation in advanced technologies and entrepreneurship.
THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES OF OUR CHILDREN ARE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND CHERISHED ASSETS. TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR POTENTIAL, WE WILL BUILD A CULTURE THAT REWARDS DETERMINATION, PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL AND HELPS EVERYONE ACQUIRE THE NECESSARY
BOOSTING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND PRODUCTIVE FAMILIES
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are among the most important agents of economic growth; they create jobs, support innovation and boost exports. SMEs in the Kingdom are not yet major contributors to our GDP, especially when compared to advanced economies. Therefore, we will strive to create suitable job opportunities for our citizens by supporting SME entrepreneurship, privatization and investments in new industries. To help us achieve this goal, we have established the SME Authority and we will continue encouraging our young entrepreneurs with business- friendly regulations, easier access to funding, international partnerships and a greater share of national procurement and government bids. Our productive families now enjoy vast marketing opportunities through social media and digital platforms. We will facilitate access to these channels, enable microfinance and motivate the non-profit sector to build the capabilities of our productive families and fund their initiatives.
