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The Saudi Press Agency reported that the Hijri year 1447 AH represented a period of notable progress for the Kingdom under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, with advancements spanning diplomatic relations, scientific innovation, economic growth and environmental efforts that positioned Saudi Arabia prominently on the global stage. The agency detailed the Crown Prince’s visit to the United States and summit with President Donald Trump at the White House, which produced a strategic defense agreement, a strategic artificial intelligence partnership and nearly $270 billion in agreements and memoranda of understanding announced at the Saudi-US Investment Forum. Saudi Arabia maintained its support for the Palestinian cause as Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan co-chaired a high-level international conference in New York on the two-state solution, after which the Kingdom endorsed the resulting New York Declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
In science and education, according to the Saudi Press Agency, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Professor Omar Yaghi following his share of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, while the Kingdom ranked as the second-largest participant at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for the third consecutive year after the United States. Saudi students secured 24 awards at ISEF 2026 including first place in computational biology and bioinformatics along with 12 special awards, the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity identified 34,000 new gifted students to earn a Guinness World Record, a Saudi artificial intelligence team won four medals in its first international competition and Harvard University graduated 70 Saudi students from its programs. These outcomes reflect the agency’s assessment of strengthened global competitiveness among Saudi talent.
The Saudi Press Agency highlighted economic gains including the Capital Market Authority’s decision to open the Saudi stock market to all categories of foreign investors as non-oil exports reached a record 624 billion riyals, a 15 percent increase from 543 billion riyals in 2024. The Public Investment Fund’s annual report showed assets under management rising 19 percent year-on-year to 3.42 trillion riyals, or approximately 913 billion dollars, by the end of 2024, retaining the fund’s position as the world’s most valuable sovereign wealth fund brand for a second year. The Saudi Export-Import Bank exceeded 100 billion riyals in credit facilities, and the Tourism Development Fund announced 2.9 billion riyals in projects and private-sector partnerships on the opening day of the TOURISE 2025 event to develop integrated tourism destinations.
Infrastructure developments during 1447 AH included the foundation stone laying for what the agency described as the world’s largest government data center by power capacity, spanning more than 30 million square feet in Riyadh, alongside the official opening of Six Flags Qiddiya City under the patronage of Riyadh Region Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar. Riyadh Air launched its inaugural flights to London while ministers inaugurated the regional headquarters of Lenovo for the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa as well as the main FedEx center for logistics and express transport services in the Kingdom. The World Bank Group, partnering with the National Competitiveness Center, opened a knowledge hub at its Riyadh headquarters, and agreements were signed to establish a branch of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands in the capital.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Arabia assumed leadership roles in several international organizations, securing the presidency of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, membership on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the presidency of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Ministers of Housing and Urban Development. The Kingdom hosted the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization with 173 member states, concluding with the Riyadh Declaration to enhance international industrial cooperation, while gaining seats or roles in bodies covering journalism, maritime affairs, science and technology for development, postal services, data governance, artificial intelligence and mining and metals. Additional agreements included one with a regional center for quality and excellence in education.
In the environmental domain the agency stated that the Kingdom rehabilitated its first one million hectares of degraded land under the Saudi Green Initiative, forming part of broader sustainability measures. These accomplishments coincide with the launch of the third and final stage of Saudi Vision 2030, which the report indicated will focus over the next five years on empowering citizens to compete globally, generating new opportunities and advancing innovation and international leadership. The agency attributed the year’s tangible progress in the economy, public services, infrastructure, logistics and social life to the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership.
