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The Ministry of Economy and Planning announced that Faisal F. Alibrahim met with Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, during the ongoing United Nations gathering. The ministers examined ways to advance shared sustainable development priorities while seeking to speed up implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Discussions focused on deepening collaboration across planning and development initiatives between the two countries.
The ministry statement placed the meeting on the sidelines of the 2026 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held in New York. According to the United Nations High-level Political Forum website, 36 countries are presenting Voluntary National Reviews at the 2026 session with Saudi Arabia among those submitting its third such document. The forum serves as the central UN platform for reviewing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals established under the 2030 Agenda.
Saudi Arabia set to participate in the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, a separate Ministry of Economy and Planning release stated earlier in July. The kingdom’s third Voluntary National Review was prepared through an inclusive process guided by the principle of leaving no one behind, UN documentation on the HLPF platform shows. This marks Saudi Arabia’s continued engagement with the global sustainable development framework since its first review years earlier.
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal has represented Pakistan at the forum’s ministerial segment where he addressed sustainable development efforts, Pakistani government channels reported around the same period. The Pakistani minister highlighted his country’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals through various national initiatives during his participation. Such parallel involvement created the opportunity for the bilateral exchange with Alibrahim on shared priorities.
The Ministry of Economy and Planning has maintained an active schedule of international engagements surrounding the 2026 forum. Earlier ministry updates listed multiple meetings by Alibrahim with counterparts from other nations and organizations in the lead-up to the New York event. These activities reflect broader Saudi efforts to align national planning with global development objectives while fostering partnerships across regions including South Asia.
UN records indicate that Voluntary National Reviews allow countries to track their SDG progress and share lessons learned with the international community. Both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have submitted such reviews in previous cycles before the current 2026 presentations. The ministerial meeting thus fits within a larger pattern of coordination at the forum aimed at addressing implementation challenges for the remaining years of the 2030 Agenda.
