By Abbas Nazil
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has earned praises from the UN for its remarkable progress in integrated water resources management, especially in a region characterized by severe water scarcity.
The global administrative body expressed the praises during the SDG 6 Water Action Agenda Special Event held in New York, on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN headquarters.
At the event, the Saudi delegation, led by Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani, the deputy minister for water at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, presented the country’s achievements and strategies in improving water security and sustainability.
UN-Water highlighted Saudi Arabia in its official report as one of the few countries that have demonstrated clear and measurable progress under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which centers on clean water and sanitation.
Between 2017 and 2023, the Kingdom’s integrated water resources management indicator rose sharply from 57 percent to 83 percent.
This 26-point jump represents one of the fastest rates of improvement globally under SDG indicator 6.5.1, which measures the degree of integrated water management being implemented by countries.
Al-Shaibani attributed the milestone to strong political commitment from the Saudi leadership, which facilitated substantial structural and organizational reforms in the water sector.
He emphasized that the government had made large-scale investments aimed at expanding and modernizing the national water infrastructure, helping drive significant improvements in service quality, institutional coordination, and operational efficiency.
As a result, the Kingdom’s enabling environment score, a key metric in evaluating the foundations for sustainable water management, improved from 42 percent in 2017 to an impressive 87 percent by 2023.
These achievements not only place Saudi Arabia among global leaders in water resource management, but also set an example for other arid and water-stressed nations striving to meet their SDG targets.
The Kingdom’s participation in the UN event underlines its commitment to contributing meaningfully to global discussions and solutions around water sustainability and climate resilience.
Officials believe that the advancements made so far reflect the effectiveness of Saudi Arabia’s integrated approach, which balances technological innovation, institutional reforms, and international cooperation.
With ongoing initiatives and robust leadership support, the country is poised to continue leading efforts in water conservation and sustainable resource utilization.
The UN’s recognition of Saudi Arabia’s progress highlights the importance of data-driven policies, cross-sectoral coordination, and strategic investments in achieving water security in challenging environments.
