the new petro power paradigm - Diplomat Magazine

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Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities
Makkah (Mecca) is the holiest city in Islam. Millions of Muslims visit Makkah every year to
perform the pilgrimage known as Hajj.
Medina, the second holiest city in Islam.
ditions yet make gradual grassroots and
lasting transformation.
The introduction of Saudi municipal
elections in 2005 was the first sign of that
gradual change, and as crown prince at
that time, he monitored very closely the
process of election for the country’s municipal
councils.
Economically, his most notable achievements
can be marked by the billions of
dollars spent on social welfare development
projects in the Kingdom, the launch
of four mega economic cities, as well as
developing strong policy institutions such
as the Supreme Economic Council. He also
held a number of important international
summits and meetings in the Kingdom
to encourage constructive global cooperation.
In June 2008, he hosted the Jeddah
energy summit to discuss ways of stabilizing
global oil markets.
King Abdullah heralded a new era of
judicial reform by announcing an overhaul
of the legal system. This included
new regulated responsibilities for the
courts, establishing a board of grievances
(administrative judiciary), approving new
laws to combat human trafficking, ratifying
new labour laws, establishing the code
of law practice and introducing criminal
procedure law in the Saudi legal system.
His primary focus was on education
and implementing a plan that would
showcase the intellectual achievements of
Saudi citizens nationally and internationally.
As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
launched a pilot project in 2005-2006
under the direction of King Abdullah
geared towards curriculum reform and
teacher retraining that spanned up to six
years and cost nine billion Saudi Riyals
($2.3 billion). The program was designed
to promote religious tolerance and balance,
and to build a modern state.
King Abdullah launched a multiphased
international scholarship program
that has reached 120,000 Saudi students,
40,000 of whom are studying in the United
States and almost 15,000 in Canada. The
Kingdom has spent billions of dollars on
training Saudi students abroad. The program
covers all expenses for Saudi undergraduate,
graduate and medical students
in universities around the world with the
goal to produce a generation of students
who are achievers and innovators.
The international scholarship program
provides Saudi students with the opportunity
to learn and be immersed in other
cultures during the course of their studies.
This exchange not only endorses the freedom
to make academic choices but also
allows for new ideas and methods to be
adopted and translated into a reality that
works for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Empowering Saudi women continues
to be a fundamental priority for King
Abdullah through opening up all fields
of education and giving women equal
opportunities. In 2009, King Abdullah
appointed the first female minister in the
Kingdom, Dr. Norah Al Fayez as deputy
minister in Saudi Arabia for women’s
education. His most remarkable achievements
in this area are the Princess Nourah
Bint Abdulrahman University, for women,
and King Abdullah University for Science
and Technology, which is open to women
and men.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is proud
to showcase the excellence and achievements
of Saudi women under King
Abdullah’s leadership. The opportunities
given to the Saudi women have guaranteed
them fundamental political and social
roles in Saudi society.
To name a few of the women achievers
in Saudi Arabia, amongst many:
• HRH Princess Adela bint Abdullah
bin Abdul Aziz, who received a distinct
arab woman award in 2008 for her
support of women and humanitarian
causes;
• Dr. Salwa Al-Hazzaa, whose name
appeared amongst the Marquis List for
most prominent people in the world
and who was named the international
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