Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA) and National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification (NCVC) approved the submission of strategic objective 1 (SO1) of the 2022 Fourth Generation Performance Review and Assessment of Implementation System (PRAIS4) report to the United Nations Conventions to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Sunday, 5 February 2023.  PRAIS4 report is a new approach in the UNCCD to building the capacity needs of the countries and combines cutting-edge geospatial information, technology, and services to maximize the value of reporting data, for better decisions and to deliver stronger evidence-based messages. With the collaboration and support of FAO Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme (SRAD), a suitable platform for assessing land degradation in Saudi Arabia has been identified and implemented. Following the reporting framework developed by UNCCD, the platform mainstreams the three sub-indicators for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3.1 “Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area” corresponding to monitoring and understanding the status of land cover, vegetation productivity, and soil organic carbon. Saudi 2022 UNCCD PRAIS4 report preparation process The report has been prepared through close collaboration of FAO, NCVC, and MEWA and was supported by five field missions to Eastern, Aseer, Makkah, Al Jouf, and Northern Borders regions of Saudi Arabia data set (Trend.Earth) and field observation covering seven land types (tree land, grass land, crop land, wet land, artificial surface, bare land, and wetland). By applying the data to the framework developed by UNCCD, the assessment identifies land areas that is degrading, not changing, or improving. It has also considered the unique ecological and environmental condition of Saudi Arabia that requires adaptation of standard methods most of which work better in a wetter environment. From the analysis, 14 sites were identified as the most degraded, documented, and strategic actions to address degradation identified and committed in the Saudi Arabia UNCCD PRAIS4 report for 2022. Additionally, as part of the reporting, FAO has organized a capacity development session for the Land Desertification department of NCVC, to ensure that there is adequate capacity within the Kingdom for updates and future monitoring for land degradation. Prioritization and commitment to address land degradation in Saudi Arabia Dr. Khalid Al Abdalqadir CEO of the NCVC promote the engagement and participation in UNCCD. Speaking prior, the submission of Saudi Arabia report, Abdallah Alburaiki, NCVC Land Desertification Director General, said that, the center plays significant role in fulfilling the commitment of the UNCCD at this stage, and therefore Saudi Arabia looks forward to participating and collaborating with other entities for better management of natural resources in the drylands. FAO Technical Adviser for Land Desertification Control in KSA, Mona Dawelbait noted that PRAIS4 provides Saudi Arabia smarter and data-driven system for innovation in land degradation reporting. She further observed that according tp the global platforms and field visits, Saudi Arabia now has a comprehensive assessment of the state of land degradation within key ecosystems, has identified priority actions, and has committed to action to address the pressing land degradation issues. With the comprehensive reporting system put in place and the capacity built, Saudi Arabia is in a good position to move towards a net positive situation where improved land exceeds the degraded land.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day the United Nations in Saudi Arabia organized round table discussions under the theme of “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” celebrating the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. IWD 2023 explored the impact of the narrowing down of digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities. According to the Gender Digital Divide Index Report 2022, Saudi Arabia was among the top 10 countries in the ranking, based on indicators such as Internet coverage and affordability, programs to support women’s STEM education, and little-to-no gender gaps in use of digital payments systems. The event aims to raise awareness on the challenges and opportunities Saudi women are facing with specific gender digital divide and to contribute to a better understanding of the necessary steps to tackle these specific digital divides. Due to the significant investment made by UN, the UN Country Team hopes to leverage the commitment of the leadership to foster strategic partnerships with key national counterparts, so as to advance Vision 2030 and UN Agenda 2030 in line with a gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education can increase the awareness of women and girls regarding their rights and opportunities and challenges. The events brought bring together economists, technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and gender equality advocates from government, CSOs, Youth organizations to provide an opportunity to highlight the role of all stakeholders in improving access to digital space. To that end the objective of IWD event is two-folds: Overall inclusive access and transformative technology and digital education for Gender Equality. Accessible and inclusive digital solutions for persons with disabilities, with focus on women and girls.

Cultivation of roses has been practised in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for centuries, largely in Taif governorate of Makkah region and it is recognized for high-quality rose oil and perfumery products. Although Rose farming is a small sector that has long-term established practices and traditions, its recognition and strong reputation throughout the country have a relatively high potential contribution to employment and livelihood. There are about 480 rose farms with nearly one million rose plants spread over an estimated 270 hectares of field area in the Kingdom. Nevertheless, the yield is low and small-scale growers and producers need support to increase production and farm management to meet the market demand. Strengthening the supply chain, improving infrastructure, access to markets and innovative opportunities are critical for better livelihoods of small-scale rose farmers and producers. Within the ongoing project on “Strengthening Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MoEWA)’s Capacity to implement the Sustainable Rural Agricultural Development Programme” (SRAD), FAO Saudi Arabia together with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and REEF is introducing a contract farming programme for rose farmers from Taif. The agreement will accelerate adoption of good practices and strengthen supply chain for Taif rose which can motivate other producers to adopt it for their farms. In simple terms, contract farming forms a mutual agreement between producers and buyers made in advance to establish conditions in which producers are committed to the future delivery of farm products to a buyer under agreed specifications that can include prices, quality, and production technologies, among other mutually agreed conditions The first contract farming between the rose farmers of the Agriculture Cooperative Association of Al Taif and Al Sakhri, an essential oil processing company, has been signed recently and establishing new linkages between aromatic plants producers and agribusinesses in the Kingdom. Under the agreement, Agriculture Cooperative Association will provide assured rose and other aromatic plants to the buyer who will also provide farming inputs, logistics and secure market access in return. ‘’Contract farming is one of the proven mechanisms and it can improve efficiency and inclusiveness for rose farming and marketing in Saudi Arabia”, explained Mr. Shukrullah Sherzad, Technical Advisor-Agriculture Marketing. FAO is providing technical assistance for capacity building for sustainable rural agricultural development through increasing productivity, diversification and value addition for rural producers, agribusiness firms and other key stakeholders. Dr. Kakoli Ghosh, Chief Technical Advisor, congratulated and said, ‘’The ongoing Sustainable Rural Agriculture Development (SRAD) project will support innovative mechanisms to increase income and strengthen livelihoods of rural producers and smallholders of Saudi Arabia’’.

On her second term as the UN-Habitat Goodwill Ambassador in the Arab region, Her Royal Highness Princess Lamia Bint Majed Al Saud, the Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, pledges to “continue building bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant and accepting future.” As the first ever Goodwill Ambassador for UN-Habitat in the Arab region, appointed in 2020, Princess Lamia has lent her voice to UN-Habitat with the aim of highlighting key urban issues, promoting more sustainable and resilient cities in the region and mobilising resources to address key urban challenges. A Philanthropist herself, Princess Lamia has succeeded to support resource mobilisation for a number of projects, including adequate housing for the most vulnerable groups, COVID-19 response and climate action, spanning Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Yemen and Tunisia. Over 4,000 people are set to benefit from the Adequate Housing project in Aden, Yemen, after the rehabilitation of a targeted number of 600 low-income housing units. In Sudan, 300 shelter units were provided for vulnerable families, 35% of them women-headed households. “I am greatly honoured to have been appointed for the second time as the UN-Habitat Regional Goodwill Ambassador for the Arab world. Our partnership with UN-Habitat will support our efforts to address issues around urbanisation and its implications on societies, economies and environments,” Princess Lamia commented during a meeting in the UN-Habitat premises in Riyadh on 20 February to reappoint her for a second term. Princess Lamia also spoke in support of UN-Habitat at critical events, such as the World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi in 2020 and Global Observance of World Habitat Day in 2020. In addition, she supported the promotion of the World Urban Forum in Katowice in June 2022 and the UN-Habitat Urban October 2022 initiatives in the Arab region. “In the past three years during UN-Habitat’s cooperation with HRH Princess Lamia bint Majid Al Saud as UN-Habitat’s regional Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness has shown the utmost commitment to the advocacy for the UN-Habitat mandate to realise more sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities,” Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN-Habitat Executive Director, stated. Passionate about gender-inclusive cities, Princess Lamia, through opinion pieces, advocated cities free from violence against women and more economic empowerment and involvement in decision-making for women. In 2018, Princess Lamia was awarded the “Woman Leader in Community Development Excellence Award”, delivered by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute to honor women leaders and executives in Dubai, UAE. The Princess was also appointed as the first Saudi to join the UN Women as a “Global Champion” for gender data equality. Goodwill Ambassadors give their voice and time to help UN organisations raise awareness around key topics and mobilise support.UN-Habitat is one of the specialised agencies within the United Nations system. Hence, the support of Goodwill Ambassadors helps the agency achieve scale and impact.