RIYADH: The Urban Observatory at the Madinah Region Development Authority has issued a Voluntary Local Review, the first VLR in Saudi Arabia, that covers nine sustainable development goals.
SDGs are a call for action by all countries — poor, rich and middle-income — to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.
Madinah’s VLR comes in line with Saudi Arabia’s commitment toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that was approved at the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015, according to a statement issued by the MDA.
Fahad Al-Buliheshi, CEO of the MDA, said that the VLR aims to evaluate Madinah’s current state of sustainable development and assess this against national and international trends, localizing SDGs in collaboration with government agencies, the private and nonprofit sectors, and Madinah’s civil society.
The Kingdom’s active participation in this report comes within the framework of aligning SDGs with national leadership, civil society and stakeholders to achieve global vertical coherence and complementarity of efforts.

Madinah’s goal of being a global beacon of Islamic and cultural enlightenment is fostered by a dynamic and sustainable economy based on the three fundamental pillars of place, people and prosperity as well as empowering elements that include governance and infrastructure.
Madinah aims to boost economic activity, increase gross domestic product, create jobs, achieve community empowerment and enhance life expectancy by supporting citizens’ welfare, implementing conservation efforts, adopting renewable energy, and increasing per capita green space.
The Al-Madinah Smart City program aspires to contribute to these goals through the creation of a dynamic smart city, delivering enriched experiences to its residents and visitors by putting technology, innovation and collaboration at its heart.
The city’s VLR also presented the Al-Madinah Development Report, which covered various aspects of sustainable development efforts.