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The kingdom has launched several programs to empower No Poverty within and even outside the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia also provides support to charitable societies, offers support to housing projects and increases allocations for orphans with special needs.
International Fight Against Poverty
In addition to the local and national attention, Saudi Arabia also provides assistance to poor nations and developing countries. This support is channeled through international organizations involved in the fight against poverty as well as the poor governments themselves.
Over the past three decades, Saudi Arabia provided over USD 84 billion (SAR 315 billion) in concessionary aid and favorable development assistance. Internationally, Saudi Arabia ranks second in terms of the volume of labor cash transfers. This is pretty important, as such remittances constitute a significant source of foreign currency for developing countries. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia supports institutions and organizations which run special programs that are recognized by the international community. Among these are United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Fund (UNIDF), Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), Arab Fund for Technical Aid to African Countries (AFTAAC), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP).
National Fight Against Poverty
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia makes great efforts to support needy people, an endeavor that features prominently among the priorities of Vision 2030. Towards this end, Saudi Arabia continues to develop and upgrade the social services system to become more efficient, further equitable and more accessible. The Kingdom pays special attention to citizens in need of constant care. Hence, seeking to create a full chain for enablement of those in need, a mutual collaboration is pursued with the non-profit sector, along with partnerships with the private sector to offer training and qualification opportunities to enable citizens to enter the labor market and enhance their incomes.
Citizen Account Program
Key among national programs recently launched, to fight Poverty, is the Citizen Account, which is a program that seeks to alleviate the burden of Saudi citizens and provide financial support to low and middle income Saudi households in the Kingdom, to ensure a better life for citizens. The program was initiated to compensate citizens who may be at risk as a result of the economic policies being implemented by the government. Rechanneling of subsidies to eligible beneficiaries, is bound to promote rational consumption. The program aims to re-channel subsidies to eligible segments, in such a way as to promote rational consumption and to ensure that subsidies are offered in an equitable manner to eligible groups. Under the Citizen Account program, subsidies will be offered in cash payments to be deposited directly into eligible recipients' accounts. The program seeks to achieve several objectives that are bound to raise the efficiency of government subsidies to citizens, encourage rational consumption of basic services by households and reduce the negative impacts of economic reforms.
Social Protection System
The Kingdom's social protection system is based on supporting the social security system, encouraging institutions and individuals to contribute to charitable work, along with providing general education and healthcare to all citizens, as well as promotion of literacy.
The social protection system is made up of three components, with each one branching out into a number of programs and initiatives:
Social Safety Nets
These include government subsidy (food, fuel, electricity and water subsidies), citizen account programs, housing support programs, educational programs, shelter care programs and welfare programs for persons with special needs.
Labor Market Support Programs
These include wage protection programs, employment support programs and job seekers’ employment support programs.
Social Insurance Program
This includes cooperative health insurance, retirement pension system and unemployment insurance (Musaned Scheme).
With their high reachability to generations, and major role in creating and disseminating knowledge, universities have been the major drivers of local, regional and global innovation, economic and social development.
Sustainability Development Goal 1, No Poverty, seeks to end poverty, in all its forms, everywhere.
KAU is doing its best to fulfill this goal by helping poor students from the Kingdom as well as international students, to have a lifelong learning opportunities, high quality education, and the needed financial support to achieve this.
On the community level, KAU, as a higher education institution, occupy a unique position within the Saudi society and is aware of the responsibilities towards fighting anti-poverty within the community.
In this sense, KAU is working on:
Providing education to local poor students and from poor countries.
Providing access to affordable accommodations, food access, and medical service.
Conducting research on SDG1 with well-known universities and research centers to explore optimal methods to tackle Poverty.
Data Publishing
KAU publishes and reports all events and data that are related to SDG1, mainly online on the SDG related page, or as part of its strategy, as well as other dedicated reports, to monitor and control the sustainability goals’ improvement within KAU and as part of KAU’s alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
All the data that is related to SDG1 “No Poverty” is openly available and can be fetched from the below channels:
KAU's Annual SDG Report.
KAU's SDG1 Annual Report.
SDG 1 report2023.pdfKAU Efforts towards No Poverty
Here is a brief list of events and actions that are related to "No Poverty" and which are detailed in the SDG1 related reports:
KAU created “Local, National & Global Collaborations & Agreements” with “Local, National & Global Centers”, “Universities”, “Research Centers”, as well as “Charitable Foundations” for the sake of providing, exchanging, and enhancing expertise that are related to No Poverty and its different aspects.
KAU organizes awareness lectures and trainings, in its local community, that are related to No Poverty.
KAU established the Strategic Center for Vision 2030 Realization, one of which goals, is to follow up and optimize SDG1's related aspects and assure KAU’s alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
KAU provides financial aid to local and international students to facilitate their study as well as other compensations related to food, accommodation and others.
KAU engages in international conferences and research, with well-known international universities that are related to “No Poverty”.
The below areas explain, in details, how KAU is approaching this SDG while enhancing aspects related to No Poverty.
1.1: Publications in No Poverty
This focuses on research that is relevant to No Poverty, measuring clinical citations and the volume of research produced.
KAU has at least 12 scholarly publications on No Poverty.
1.2: Proportion of Students Receiving Financial Aid to attend University because of Poverty
KAU's financial aid is provided to students coming from low-income countries, and who constitute a significant 83% of KAU's total number of students.
1.3: University Anti-Poverty Programmes
KAU has been executing programmes that are related to No Poverty through collaborations with the government, local and international stakeholders.
1.4: Community Anti-Poverty Programmes
KAU has a major social responsibility towards its community. Hence, it has the Deanship of Community Service which organizes, participates, and execute Anti-Poverty Programmes in the local community.
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