Keynote speaker: Dr. Thuraya Obaid (guest speaker) *
Speaker 1: Osama Kurdi
Speaker 2: Dr. Abdullah Al-Mutairi
Moderator: Dr. Suleiman Tufail
Summary
This topic has two aspects. The first relates to the development challenges related to population policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The second relates to the demographic policies in light of the Saudi Vision 2030, particularly concerning the focus by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, on young people and giving them high priority and care. This is aligned with the demographic “opportunity”, which pushes young people forward. Besides, everything that was mentioned about improving the population’s situation, the geographical distribution, and the services provided, scientifically, technically, practically and hygienically, aimed at achieving the themes of vision.
The demographic policy is tightly related to the Saudi Vision 2030, considering that one of the factors for continued success in implementing the vision is the interest in the demographic policy in the Kingdom, and even the addition of a set of programs and initiatives in the vision-related to population policy, and the urgency in that.
Saudi Arabia is facing a future challenge, which is the aging of the Saudi population. This is due to its future impact on development and national security.
Contributions on the issue included the following themes:
- Population composition in the Kingdom.
- Population growth: positives and caveats.
- Dimensions of population aging.
- Population migration: disadvantages and solutions.
For more information on the issue, please refer to the link:
Recommendations:
- Outmost investment in the demographic opportunity, making it a development tool and transforming from a problem to an opportunity and point of strength.
- Developing the various regions in the Kingdom (small and medium cities and villages), supporting the establishing of populated areas and making use of their relative advantage or establishing universities or a factory according to the related resources. Further, new competencies may be attracted to provide the proper services and settlement of original inhabitants. This is to curb migration to cities.
- Protecting families from breaking down and legislations may downsize their value such as homosexuality and marginalizing the roles of some members. In this regard, legal marriage is the only means for the continuity and protection of the family, keeping the rights of its members, raising their awareness on birth control, work, and accommodation.
- Remedying the defects and deficiencies in the structure of the demographic structure, and reducing the rates of people coming to the Kingdom for work, mainly male workers.
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(*) The first Saudi female scholarship student, member of many advisory councils and societies interested in women’s activity and voluntary work, and she is chair of the Women’s Communication Group (W20) in the contact groups of (G20).