CITC’s first Sustainability Report details ICT sector’s role in reaching Kingdom’s sustainability targets
- Saudi Arabia’s digital regulator reveals vision for ICT role in achieving sustainability.
- The first Annual Sustainability Report lays out Saudi Arabia’s sustainability ecosystem, from digital infrastructure to equal access to education and financial inclusion, highlighting the Kingdom’s contribution to the UN’s sustainable development goals.
- The initiatives have extended internet connection to 3.2 million people, while covering 48% of the Kingdom with 5G to ensure everyone had access to education, finance, and other vital services.
RIYADH: March 31s, 2022: Saudi Arabia’s digital regulator, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) released its first Annual Sustainability Report in conjunction with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), detailing the role of ICT in achieving the Kingdom’s sustainability goals under the guidance of Vision 2030.
From livable green cities to renewable energy and environmental preservation, CITC lays out four key themes and 16 strategic priorities for its 2023 strategy in the report. The regulator’s key priorities for 2023 and beyond are protecting consumers, promoting investment and competition, enabling Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation, and achieving regulatory excellence.
The report showcases CITC’s particular focus on achieving consensus and transparency in the sector, as the Kingdom’s regulator aims to help develop the most advanced and meaningful regulations in Saudi Arabia and around the globe.
CITC’s efforts to build strong connectivity across the Kingdom ensures equal access to education, public services, and financial inclusion. By 2022, 92.6% of Riyadh and 48.1% of the Kingdom have access to 5G coverage, while the Digital Inclusion of Saudi Rural Areas project allowed 3.2 million people to access internet in the remotest parts of the Kingdom.
The widespread internet access has enabled the Kingdom’s population to reach many services such as health, finance, and education for a more sustainable and equal living.
Under the guidance of the Saudi Green Initiative, CITC seeks to elevate Saudi Arabia among the top global players in sustainability, from smart cities to renewable energy, while generating prosperity and investment opportunities.
The publication additionally highlights the public and private sector’s contribution to the SDGs. In cooperation with the MCIT, CITC promoted projects that contributed to SDGs in gender equality, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, quality education, decent work, and economic growth. MCIT’s program to empower women alone contributed to the training of 20,000 women via the future skills initiative, while delivering first-grade leadership training for women in the ICT sector.
The report is released as the International Telecommunication Union’s Connect 2030 sustainability agenda gathers momentum. The initiatives five main goals center on growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, innovation, and partnership.
The Annual Sustainability report is accessible to the public on the CITC’s web site. https://www.citc.gov.sa/ar/mediacenter/Documents/sustainability_report_2022.pdf
