Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Success Story

Officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it is the largest Arab state in Western Asia.

The regime has been an absolute monarchy since its inception. Saudi Arabia is sometimes called "the Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in

reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (in Medina)

Saudi Arabia hosts the world’s largest reserves of oil and has emerged as a global energy superpower.

Introduction

Growth Was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and

pilgrimage revenues. However, in 1938, vast reserves of oil were discovered and full-scale development of the oil fields began in 1941.

Has one-fifth of the world's proven total petroleum reserves. 75% of budget revenues and 90% of its export earnings come from the oil industry (comprises about 45% of Saudi Arabia's nominal gross domestic product, compared with 40% from the private sector)

1990s – experienced significant contraction of oil revenues combined with a high rate of population growth. Per capita income fell but increases in oil prices since 2000 have helped boost per capita GDP.

Oil price increases of 2008–2009 have triggered a second oil boom, pushing Saudi Arabia's budget surplus to $28 billion.

Relatively high per capita income of $24,200 (2010). Six "economic cities“ which are planned to be completed by 2020 are expected to

increase the per capita income. Forecasted to rise from $15,000 in 2006 to $33,500 in 2020 and projected to contribute $150 billion to the GDP.

Taking a more active role to enact local policies towards a lower-carbon economy. There is a growing push within the Kingdom to develop and apply clean energy technologies and reduce dependence of the domestic economy on oil consumption.

UNDP is providing a critical platform for progress in Saudi Arabia, by engaging practical local policy solutions for both public and private partners in the area of energy efficiency.

among the top 20 economies in the world in terms of competitiveness in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report for 2011-12.

Poverty Saudi Arabia ranked 10th globally and first in the Arab world in terms of

the lowest poverty rate, according to a recent poverty report released by the World Bank.

Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and spends more than 4 percent of its total GDP annually on donations and humanitarian aid that reaches people in more than 110 countries around the globe.

*http://www.arabnews.com/news/472256

Education have come to identify a good education system as a cornerstone of economic

progress. Various initiatives aimed at improving the quality & quantity of education.

in 2004, Saudi Arabia set forth a 10-year strategy aimed at not just economic requirements but sociopolitical needs as well.

Higher education has expanded rapidly, with large numbers ofUniversities and colleges being founded particularly since 2000.

Health Life expectancy at birth male to female ratio (in years) is 74/80 Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births)9 Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000

population)71/52 Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2011)901 Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2011)3.7

*http://www.who.int/countries/sau/en/

Geography Saudi Arabia occupies most of the Arabian Peninsula, with the Red Sea and

the Gulf of Aqaba to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east. Neighboring countries are Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, Yemen, and Bahrain, connected to the Saudi mainland by a causeway

Saudi Arabia contains the world's largest continuous sand desert, the Rub Al-Khali, or Empty Quarter. Its oil region lies primarily in the eastern province along the Persian Gulf.

Since King Abdulaziz Al-Saud established the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, its transformation has been astonishing.

In a few short decades, the Kingdom has turned itself from a desert nation to a modern, sophisticated state and a major player on the international stage.

Population The total population of Saudi Arabia is 26,939,583 (July 2013 est.). This

includes around 5million non-nationals. There are 90% Arabs and 10% Afro-Asians. Population growth rate is 1.51% 82.3% urbanized population (2011). 100% Muslims

*https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html

Foreign Aid

Saudi Arabia has been amongst the world’s largest donor s of humanitarian assistance.

• In 2007, in response to Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia gave Bangladesh $158 million aid.

• In 2008, Saudi Arabia provided $500 million in cash to the World Food Program.• In 2010, after the Haiti earthquake, Saudi Arabia made $50 million available to the Emergency

Response Fund. • Saudi pledges for the continuing response to the floods in Pakistan in 2010 amount to $220

million.• Saudi Arabia has provided significant amount of aid to the Arab and Muslim world for

development and humanitarian aid. • Between 1975 and 2005, total Saudi aid to developing countries was $90 billion or 3.7% of its

annual gross domestic product (GDP).

Despite having played a significant role in contributing through financial assistance, Saudi Arabia still lacks in certain areas and needs to improve on them in order to truly benefit its aid recipients:

It needs a coherent and structured humanitarian aid framework. It needs to have central organization to coordinate and administer relief

operations. It needs to cooperate and coordinate with other bodies in the international

humanitarian assistance network. It also needs to develop a clear policy or strategy for humanitarian assistance.

The Saudi armed forces comprise of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG), the Royal Saudi Land Forces, the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Royal Saudi Air Defense, and the Royal Saudi Navy. There are also paramilitary forces that are responsible for protecting infrastructure and other critical assets. The total amount of Saudi personnel is in hundred thousands.

The Kingdom’s expenditure on defense and security has been increasing significantly over the past 10 years. Saudi Arabia’s high-tech, up to date arsenal makes the country one of the most armed defensive countries in the region, with most of Riyadh’s military purchases coming from the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia's estimated $45 billion yearly military lay out represents the region's largest budget particularly for airpower capabilities in support of Kingdom’s protection.

Border security is an important area of further defensive capability. Both the southern and northern borders of the Kingdom require 24/7 monitoring. Strong border security measures are for preventing drug smugglers and insurgents.

Besides fences and CCTV, there are also the use of UAVs and an increase in border controls as well as listening devices.

Governance/ role of military

There is also a vigorous network of Saudi defense for the Kingdom that protects infrastructure, hydrocarbon facilities and pipelines, as well as littoral waters from a variety of threats.

Special petroleum police units perform protect oil installations.

The Royal Saudi Navy, along with the Saudi Coast Guard, is protecting the waters around the Kingdom including seaport security. Their activities help prevent illegal imports shipments as well as any potential armed attacks on shipping.

Civil Society

The current activities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Saudi Arabia include voluntary, religious, cultural, social and professional fields.

· Political and rightful aspects are usually still restricted and limited. In fact, there are only two institutions working in the field of human rights.

· Although there is an attitude to increase the efficiency of NGOs by permitting new associations and increasing their activities, the legal and administrative environment is still causing hindrance.

· In Saudi Arabia, all non-governmental organizations are not fully independent and are controlled by the state in some way.

· Official authorities interfere in the arrangements of election of organizations' boards of the directors through screening them before election, and also supervise and audit the financial accounts of NGOs and observe their commitment to their bylaws and regulations.

Non-governmental organizations in Saudi Arabia, based on their activities, can be divided into these following groups:

1. Chambers of Commerce: 2. Charitable Foundations: 3. Professional and Vocational Associations 4. Rightful and Labor Committees 5. Religious Establishments and Institutions In the recent years, it is noticeable that the number of NGOs has increased significantly. They have

included various new work fields as a result of the developments and changes in the Saudi society.