Madinah: Al Madinah Region Development Authority participated in the main session of the 2025 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations Headquarters, titled "Transformation from the Ground Up: Acting at Local Level," where it highlighted Madinah's pioneering experience and the Kingdom's leadership in localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to Saudi Press Agency, the authority's Chief Data and Innovation Officer Eng. Abdulrahman Ibrahim said Madinah has become a model for international best practices. Key initiatives include the 2023 Madinah City Voluntary Local Review (VLR), the first in the Kingdom and second in the Arab region; the 2024 State of Sustainable Development Report for Madinah Region, the first Voluntary Subnational Review (VSR) in the Arab region; and this year's launch of the Atlas of Sustainable Development in Madinah City Neighborhoods, a global first for its precise, neighborhood-level SDG assessment.
The session also reviewed successful local and regional approaches to accelerating sustainable solutions for SDGs, discussing enabling factors and opportunities for expanding local action.
Al Madinah Region Development Authority's participation, part of the Saudi delegation led by Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim, underscores the Kingdom's commitment to the sustainable development agenda, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030.