Saudi Arabia Presents Third Voluntary National Review at 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented its third Voluntary National Review (VNR) during the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2026 in New York, reaffirming its commitment to accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and advancing the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
 Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim presented the key highlights of the VNR, providing an assessment of the Kingdom’s progress in achieving the 2030 agenda and learnings as well as its priorities for the years ahead. The report builds on Saudi Arabia’s previous reviews in 2018 and 2023 and reflects a whole-of-society effort involving more than 140 entities across government, the private sector, academia, NGOs, and the United Nations system.
 Alibrahim said: “The Kingdom’s third Voluntary National Review reflects how Saudi Vision 2030 has turned national transformation into practical progress across the 2030 Agenda. Today, we share what has changed since our last review in 2023, what we have learned, and what remains in progress, a journey that began with honest self-assessment, advanced through reform and ambition, and is now entering a phase focused on prioritization, efficient delivery, and higher impact.”
 The report outlines the Kingdom's priorities for the next phase of implementation, including strengthening prevention of non-communicable diseases, managing groundwater sustainability, accelerating renewable energy deployment, expanding financial inclusion, enhancing biosecurity and vaccine capacity, and further strengthening disaggregated data for more targeted policymaking.
 The review demonstrates how Saudi Vision 2030 has translated the global SDGs into a national delivery model through the National Sustainable Development Blueprint, which organizes more than 90 development priorities into nine integrated missions focused on delivering measurable outcomes for people, the economy, and the environment. It highlights progress across these missions, including strengthening water security, expanding renewable energy, improving healthcare access, increasing women's economic participation, advancing digital government, supporting thriving cities, fostering industrial development, and enabling more inclusive economic growth.