Abdullah Al Harbi: Sustainable improvement of quality of life in cities requires systemic reforms

Sustainable improvement of quality of life in cities requires systemic reforms, significant investments, and active engagement of the private and non-profit sectors, stated the Chief International Affairs Officer of the KSA Quality of Life Program Center, Abdalla Al Harbi, at the event "From Commitments to Impact - Joint Comprehensive Improvement of Quality of Life in Cities" within the framework of WUF13 in Baku, Report informs.

He recalled that ten years ago, the Saudi Vision 2030 program was launched in the country, aimed at the economic and social transformation of the kingdom.

"To implement the strategy, hundreds of social and economic reforms were carried out, and special implementation programs were launched, one of which is the Quality of Life Program," he said.

Al Harbi noted that quality of life in Saudi Arabia is considered in two key dimensions - improving the comfort level of the urban environment and developing the population's lifestyle, including access to infrastructure, services, and opportunities for an active life.

According to him, within the goals of Vision 2030, targets have been set for increasing the contribution of the private sector, small and medium-sized businesses, as well as non-profit organizations to the country's GDP, and significant progress has already been recorded in a number of areas.

"And so, private sector participation in the economy has grown to 51%, and the contribution of small and medium-sized businesses has reached 23%, with target indicators of 65% and 35% respectively by 2030. The contribution of the non-profit sector has increased more than fivefold - from 0.2% to over 1%," he emphasized.