The Saudi Green Building Forum participated on Wednesday in the opening ministerial session of the 21st General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh in November 2025.
The Saudi Green Building Forum emphasized the Kingdom's leading role in driving sustainable industrial development, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the economic transformations it is witnessing. In the session, the Forum emphasized the Kingdom's leading role in driving sustainable industrial development, in line with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the economic transformations it is witnessing.
Secretary-General
Secretary-General
Dr. <In his speech, the Secretary General of SGF, Engineer Faisal Al Fadl, explained that the world is at a “pivotal moment” in industrial development, with vast global challenges persisting; more than 600 million people are expected to remain in extreme poverty by 2030, while more than 2. 4 billion people lack access to clean cooking solutions.4 billion people lack access to clean cooking solutions, noting that industrial productivity growth has slowed globally to less than 1.5% per year, while progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is only 15%. 90% of environmental degradation impacts are associated with industrial systems, while only one-fifth of SMEs globally have access to green finance or technology transfer, reflecting a clear gap between ambition and implementation, stressing that addressing this gap requires fostering innovation and expanding public-private partnerships to achieve the desired industrial transformation.
Al Fadl emphasized that this gap requires promoting innovation and expanding public-private partnerships to achieve the desired industrial transformation. The Secretary-General stressed that the growth of the Kingdom's non-oil sector by between 4% and 5% annually reflects the strength of national empowerment within the economic transformation programs, which has enabled national institutions - including the Saudi Green Building Forum as an NGO with consultative status with the United Nations - to enhance their role in supporting Member States and developing more efficient and sustainable industrial models.
Fadl said that the work of the Saudi Green Building Forum reflects a clear gap in ambition and implementation reality. The Forum's work intersects with UNIDO's priorities through three main themes: enhancing industrial competitiveness through the development of professional standards and knowledge, supporting industrial digital transformation using scientific data and models to increase efficiency and reduce waste, and building industrial capacity for the future through the “Saaf Professionalism” system, which has contributed to the qualification of thousands of environmental practitioners in the Kingdom and the region.
Fadl said that the Forum's work intersects with UNIDO's priorities through three main axes. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution,” he concluded, explaining that partnership, knowledge sharing, and unifying efforts are the most effective way to promote sustainable industrial transformation, reiterating the Forum's commitment to support the Kingdom and member states' efforts towards a more resilient and sustainable industrial future.
In his concluding remarks to the conference chair, Al Fadl emphasized that "there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The Saudi Green Building Forum is one of the leading national organizations in urban sustainability and enjoys permanent consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is an accredited observer in the fields of environment, climate, desertification and biodiversity, which enhances its role in supporting national and international efforts to achieve sustainable industrial development.
