NEW YORK — Saudi Arabia concluded its participation in the 2024 High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York, which brought together countries to review global efforts and progress made in achieving the sustainable development goals within the 2030 Agenda. The forum's work continued from 8 to 18 July 2024. Saudi Arabia's delegation was led by Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim. In Saudi Arabia's speech at the forum, he said: "Accelerating the process of progress requires clear policies that focus on solutions, enabling countries to focus on the most effective policies and solutions that achieve the maximum impact for the largest number of people in the shortest possible period of time." Al-Ibrahim said: "In Saudi Arabia, we realize that sustainable progress depends on finding and exploiting opportunities to improve the general standard of living and enhance the quality of life. In addition, we have followed an approach that includes all aspects of the economy and focuses on people to extract our latent potential, in line with the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030." He added: "We work to promote sustainability locally, with cities publishing their voluntary local audits and incorporating sustainable practices to reach all community groups." The Quality of Life Program participated in the event with the aim of presenting the progress made by the Kingdom in achieving the goals of sustainable development, focusing on sustainable city projects, and highlighting Saudi's efforts in improving the quality of life. The program organized several activities accompanying the forum, including discussion sessions and workshops. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture participated in a pavilion on the sidelines of the Forum, during which it reviewed the Green Saudi Initiative and the Green Middle East Initiative. The pavilion also reviewed Saudi Arabia's ongoing preparations to host the Conference of the Parties at its 16th session to combat desertification (COP 16) in Riyadh in December this year. It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia's participation in this forum extends from 2017, as the high-level political forum has been held annually since 2015 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
