Minister of Environment Launches National Environmental Performance Indicator as 2025 Environment Week Kicks Off
The Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Engineer Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli, inaugurated the national environmental performance index today. This index aims to measure and monitor progress in various environmental areas and sectors. This launch coincides with the start of the 2025 Environment Week under the slogan “Our Home, Our Treasure,” taking place in different regions of the Kingdom.
Al-Fadhli emphasized that the national environmental performance index represents a strategic step towards monitoring the state of the environment and making precise decisions to achieve long-term sustainability in the Kingdom. He noted that the index reflects the commitment of the environmental sector to providing practical tools for measuring progress, evaluating environmental challenges, and enhancing the effectiveness of environmental policies in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 targets. It also strengthens data-driven environmental governance.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture explained that the index is a national tool for monitoring the state of the environment. It was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and designed in coordination with relevant national environmental entities to align with the national environmental work. The index aims to assess the state of the environment in the Kingdom, identify influencing factors, and provide an early warning system to alert to both negative and positive environmental trends.
By measuring progress towards achieving national environmental goals, the index helps identify areas requiring intervention, encouraging the implementation of appropriate corrective actions and policies. In its initial phase, the index includes five main policy areas aligned with the priorities of the national environmental strategy and Vision 2030. These areas cover indicators for biodiversity development, vegetation cover development, solid waste management, air, soil, and water pollution, as well as meteorological services. The second phase will incorporate other environmental indicators such as climate change, reflecting their increasing importance in national environmental planning.
The Ministry highlighted that evidence-based decision-making supported by the index is expected to enhance environmental sustainability, quality of life, and human health in the Kingdom. The index’s comprehensive approach, incorporating various environmental aspects, promotes a holistic view of environmental management, facilitating targeted interventions and policy adjustments as necessary to ensure a greener and healthier future for Saudi Arabia.
