MEDINA, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Urban Observatory at Al Madinah Region Development Authority has issued the Madinah SDGs Voluntary Local Review (VLR) as the first VLR in Saudi Arabia that covers nine sustainable development goals.

Madinah, sustainable city

Madinah's VLR comes in line with Saudi Arabia's commitment towards the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" that was approved at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015. Saudi Arabia's commitment comes within the Islamic values, Kingdom's VISION 2030 and its executive programs. Madinah's VLR comes in continuation of the national efforts in the Voluntary National Review (VNR) in its first edition in 2018, titled "Towards the Sustainable Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" by the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

The VLR aims to evaluate Madinah's current state of sustainable development and to assess them against the national and international trends, enriching the localization of the SDGs in collaboration with the government agencies, the private sector, the non-profit sector, and Madinah's civil society.

This VLR covers 9 goals of the SDGs: from Goal 1 to Goal 8, and Goal 11. The report comprises Madinah's sustainable development state in many fields, such as health, education, infrastructure, environment, housing, transport, and others.

Madinah Region Development Authority looks forward to collaborate with its partners to accelerate achieving the SDG targets at the local level through job creation, prosperity, and development without burdening land and resources, while reducing pollution, in compatibility with national efforts and initiatives to achieve sustainable and inclusive development.