[3] Additionally, the program is facing strong criticism from human rights advocates, with allegedly over 21,000 workers having died on the job in program-related projects between 2017 and 2024, according to a 2024 investigation.
The core priority is to be able to develop alternative sources of revenue for the government, such as taxes, fees, and income from the sovereign wealth fund.
[9] The plan is supervised by a group of people employed under the National Center for Performance Measurement, the Delivery Unit, and the Project Management Office of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.
However, amid the rising controversy and escalating tensions due to the Kingdom's alleged involvement in Jamal Khashoggi's murder, many international companies have backed out of the conference.
Google Cloud, KKR, Ford Motor, JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, Uber and Blackstone all withdrew their CEO/chairmen's names from the summit that was held on 23 October 2018.
In addition, to assist the Kingdom in financing the projects to be developed and facilitate the process of achieving goals and targets, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced in January 2016 that an IPO of Saudi Aramco would take place.
[15] In June 2019, the Financial Times reported that Aramco is striving to separate its association with the Ministry of Investment, ahead of its potential listing.
In Riyadh, the first public live music concert in over 25 years was held in May 2017, which featured American country musician Toby Keith and Saudi singer Rabeh Sager.
[19][20] In April 2017, the government announced a 334 square kilometres (33,400 ha) sports, culture, and entertainment complex at Al-Qidiya, south-west of Riyadh.
During Crown Jewel on 31 October 2019, Lacey Evans and Natalya participated in the first women's professional wrestling match to be held in Saudi Arabia.
[31][32] In January 2020, Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to build a new racing circuit in Qiddiya designed by former Formula One driver Alexander Wurz, aiming to host F1 or MotoGP events as early as 2023.
Major infrastructure projects, such as the $500 billion NEOM smart city and The Red Sea Global, are creating substantial demand for construction services.
The Saudi government is actively welcoming foreign investment and offering incentives to international construction companies, making the Kingdom an attractive destination for expanding operations.
Their landmark project, the Sheybarah Hotel, showcased their expertise and underscored the importance of having a local market entry partner like AstroLabs.
[35] Vision 2030's "Giga Projects" are central to Saudi Arabia's development strategy, aiming to stimulate economic growth, technological advancement, and sustainability.
The government's substantial investments in infrastructure are expected to boost the construction sector's market size to $91.36 billion by 2029, with an annual growth rate of 5.37%.
This boom underscores the need for sustainable practices, advanced construction technology, and local talent development to meet the ambitious goals of Vision 2030.
The case of Israa al-Ghomgham came to light after she and her husband were arrested in December 2015 for calling for the release of political prisoners and an end to anti-Shia government discrimination.
The app, which promotes a male guardianship system, allows men to manage women's lives digitally by specifying where and when a woman can travel.
[41] The European Parliament and United States Congress condemned the app and urged the Kingdom to abolish its male guardianship system.
The VRPs were presented by Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) on 24 April 2017:[96] The plan is supervised by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman.
It also claimed that recent, major government deposits at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) acted as policy buffers to smooth the transition that the plan requires.
It expects that the fiscal deficit will continue to improve over the coming years, also noting that non-performing loans remained low, despite a slight increase in 2017.
Another aspect is the "zero tolerance to corruption" that may be very difficult to achieve with a "society where family, tribal, and regional ties are stronger than the nebulous conception of state identity".
[107][108] In June 2020, following the killing of Abdulraheem al-Huwaiti of Huwait tribe, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, hired a US Public Relations and Communications firm Ruder Finn, to counter the negative aspects of NEOM City project.
[113][114][115] For the Vision 2030 program, Saudi has a major focus on sports, where it successfully signed contracts with Italy and Spain to host their domestic cup finals.
[113] In October 2021, as a part of a consortium, the PIF obtained an 80% stake in Premier League club Newcastle United, following a previous failed takeover attempt in 2020.
[116][117] Moreover, human rights groups have also been vocally opposing the Kingdom's efforts to stage major sports events, particularly after the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.
[119] In July 2022, Mohammed bin Salman released a promotional video, taking further the plans to build a 105-mile-long linear city, dubbed as The Line.
[123] Part of Neom, the project was designed to incorporate flying cars, robotic maids, and an artificial moon between two parallel mirrored buildings.