Adopting a youth development policy in Saudi Arabia: comprehensive protection and empowerment

In a strategic move reflecting the wise leadership's commitment to the future of rising generations, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has adopted the General Policy for Youth Development. This step establishes the institutional and organizational framework for all efforts aimed at empowering young people, who are considered the primary drivers for achieving the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which relies heavily on the energy of youth to lead economic and social transformation.

Strategic pillars that align with the aspirations of Vision 2030

This policy is not merely a regulatory document, but a comprehensive roadmap based on key pillars aimed at bridging legislative and regulatory gaps in the youth sector. The strategy includes assigning youth development responsibilities to specialized entities, encouraging scientific research to study their needs, and launching a national indicator to measure the Kingdom's performance in this vital area, thus ensuring close monitoring and continuous evaluation of programs and initiatives.

This step gains its importance from the demographic context of the Kingdom, where young people constitute the largest percentage of the population, making the investment of their energies an inevitable necessity to ensure the sustainability of national development and enhance the Kingdom’s global competitiveness.

Comprehensive protection: No place for bullying or violence

The new policy prioritizes the psychological and physical well-being of young people, explicitly stating the need to create safe environments that protect them from all forms of violence and abuse. In a significant regulatory precedent, the policy focuses on combating bullying and discrimination through:

• Launching intensive awareness campaigns to monitor and report cases of abuse.
• Conducting training workshops for teachers, employers, and community leaders.
• Establishing support groups that provide safe spaces for sharing experiences and promoting mental health.

The policy also addressed modern challenges, giving considerable attention to “digital safety,” emphasizing cooperation with social media platforms to control content and protect young people from cyber extortion and misleading content, thus ensuring a safe and stimulating digital environment.

Equal opportunities and social justice

To uphold the principles of justice, the policy emphasized ensuring equal opportunities for both genders in education and employment, and combating stereotypes that may hinder the advancement of young women. It also paid particular attention to youth in non-urban areas, ensuring their equitable access to developmental and recreational opportunities on par with their peers in major cities, thereby promoting balanced development across the Kingdom's regions.

In an important humanitarian and rights-based gesture, the policy emphasized empowering young people with disabilities by improving infrastructure and facilitating their integration into the labor market and educational institutions, in addition to developing special programs for the rehabilitation and integration of young people at risk or recovering from addiction.

Participation in decision-making and strengthening identity

The policy has shifted the role of youth from passive recipients to active participants in decision-making, encouraging the establishment of youth councils in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to empower them to express their opinions on policies that affect their future. This approach aligns with the goals of volunteer work in Vision 2030, which calls for institutionalizing volunteerism and building leadership capacities among young people.

In conclusion, the policy focused on strengthening national identity and tolerant Islamic values, to ensure the upbringing of a generation that is proud of its homeland and preserves its achievements, with a conscious openness to the world, which contributes to building a vibrant society and a solid foundation for the future of the Kingdom.