JEDDAH — Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session held in Jeddah on Tuesday. The Cabinet began by reviewing several periodic performance reports on the programs of the Saudi Vision 2030, noting numerous achievements. The Cabinet praised the rapid progress of housing and health sector transformation programs, particularly in increasing homeownership rates among Saudi families, delivering thousands of housing units to developmental housing beneficiaries, and enhancing healthcare accessibility, quality, and life expectancy through public health and community vitality initiatives. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary highlighted the Kingdom's high rankings in labor-market indicators issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The number of Saudi workers in the private sector rose from 1.7 million in 2019 to over 2.3 million in 2024, while the unemployment rate decreased to 6.7% in the first quarter of 2024. The Cabinet also discussed Saudi Arabia's bid to host the 2034 World Cup, reaffirming the Kingdom's commitment to delivering an exceptional tournament featuring 48 teams for the first time in World Cup history. This bid aims to showcase Saudi Arabia's leadership across various fields. Additionally, the Cabinet celebrated the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's decision to add the Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area in Riyadh to the World Heritage List. This marks the eighth site in Saudi Arabia to be listed, fulfilling one of the goals of Vision 2030. On the international front, the Cabinet reviewed recent discussions aimed at enhancing bilateral and multilateral relations and cooperation. The Kingdom's participation in G20 meetings was noted, highlighting efforts to support sustainable development goals, economic progress, and global humanitarian responses. The Cabinet welcomed the outcomes of the second consultative meeting on peace initiatives in Sudan, reaffirming Saudi Arabia's commitment to resolving the crisis and restoring stability. The Kingdom also reiterated its support for Yemen, encouraging efforts to de-escalate tensions and achieve a comprehensive political solution within the UN framework. Furthermore, the Cabinet emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating drug-related crimes, highlighting the success of security campaigns in this area. The session concluded with the approval of several decisions. These included a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and a headquarters agreement with the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat). Additionally, the Cabinet authorized the Minister of Culture to negotiate a memorandum of understanding for cultural cooperation with Portugal, and the Minister of Tourism to negotiate a memorandum of understanding for tourism cooperation with Cuba. The Cabinet also approved a memorandum of understanding for tourism cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, and a memorandum of understanding for investment promotion between Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica. Furthermore, there was approval for a memorandum of understanding for economic and planning cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and a cooperation memorandum between Saudi Arabia's Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha'at) and Jordan's Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO). Agreements in air transport services with Uganda and Guatemala were approved, along with authorization for the General Court of Audit to negotiate a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in accounting and auditing with Pakistan. The Cabinet also authorized the National Center for Privatization to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with Kuwait's Authority for Partnership Projects, and the Saudi National Institute of Health to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. There was approval for a memorandum of understanding between Saudi Arabia's Institute of Public Administration and Bahrain's Institute of Public Administration, and for a governance manual for public entities. The Cabinet also approved the product safety system and the standards and quality system, and granted the General Authority for Awqaf authority to invest real-estate funds under its custody for public benefit.
