Sustainable development goals
Sustainable development goals, also known as global goals, are a universal call to work to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. These 17 goals are based on what has been achieved of the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015). They also include new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, enhancement of innovation, sustainable consumption, peace, and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected - the key to success in achieving a specific goal often lies in addressing issues closely related to other goals.
Sustainable development goals require working practically in a spirit of partnership so that today we can make the right options to sustainably improve life for future generations. The goals provide clear guidelines and objectives for all countries to adopt according to their priorities, while considering the environmental challenges facing the whole world.
To view details of sustainable development goals, click here.
Sustainable development goals in Saudi Arabia
As a founding member of the United Nations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has played an active role in the results of the sustainable development goals. Over the past five decades, Saudi Arabia has made remarkable progress in economic and social development. Since then, the Kingdom and the United Nations Development Program have built a strategic partnership for development.
In 2018, Saudi Arabia presented the first voluntary national review at the high-level political forum held between 9 and 18 July 2018 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. More than 1,000 governments, delegations, companies and civil society leaders attended to discuss the progress made by governments towards implementing the sustainable development goals. The year 2018 topic was "the transformation towards sustainable and flexible societies."
With the support of the United Nations Development Program, the national review of Saudi Arabia contained a comprehensive review of the state of sustainable development goals, its alignment with Saudi Vision 2030, and the measures taken by national entities including the government, the private sector and NGOs to achieve the 2030 sustainable development plan.
MoJ's role in achieving the sustainable development goals
As part of the Saudi government, the Ministry of Justice performs its role in achieving the sustainable development goals through several services, initiatives and regulations that have directly impacted these goals:
Gender equality and women's empowerment
Sustainable development requires observing the principles of dignity and equality among people. The prerequisites for a sustainable egalitarian society include combating poverty, providing universal healthcare, food, good education, and gender equality.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has emphasized women's role in development by improving and activating their capacities at the local and international levels as an important element of society. The Saudi government has designated a strategic goal in Vision 2030 to increase women's participation in the labor market and ensure their rights in healthcare and education in line with the fifth goal of sustainable development.
MoJ efforts to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment
1. Conciliation service
The Ministry of Justice has enabled women to register as conciliators at the "Conciliation Center," allowing them to mediate in several disputes between two parties. The procedures are fully automated, including filing for conciliation, closing the process with amicable settlement if possible, and managing and certifying conciliation records remotely.
Applicants for the conciliator position can choose any of several available fields, including family, financial, maintenance and child custody, criminal, traffic, real estate, and intellectual property.
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2. Women's empowerment in law practice
The Ministry of Justice works to increase the number of Saudi female lawyers and enable them to participate in judicial work and the legal profession by granting them more law practice licenses and specialized training. The ministry also provides relevant e-services through the Najiz portal, including applying for law practice license, renewal of law practice license, updating lawyer's information, trainee lawyer services, and practicing lawyers inquiries.
3. Applying for private notary license
This service enables Saudi women to apply for a private notary license. After providing the information and meeting the requirements, the applicant visits the nearest notarial office for verification and fingerprinting.
Private notaries are empowered to issue powers of attorney, and certify and revoke corporate charters through private-sector offices. These offices work seven days a week using an integrated digital process.
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MoJ decisions that enhanced women's rights
| Women's Rights in Saudi Laws | |
| 2. Unless she is accused, the woman in the home to be searched may veil herself or leave the home. | 1. If the home to be searched has only the accused woman, the searching team shall include a woman. |
| 4. Women shall be given their legal shares of inheritance and estate. | 3. A woman may not be detained for enforcement if she is pregnant or has a child under 2 years of age. |
| 6. Personal status courts shall consider the marriage of women with no guardian. | 5. A woman's silence on her share of inheritance shall not entail forgoing her right if she later claims it. |
| 8. It is illegal to force a woman to marry a man she does not accept. | 7. A woman shall not be prevented from getting married by her guardian. |
| 10. Marriage annulment is effective as of the date of judgement. | 9. If a relative prevents a woman's marriage, he shall be punished with imprisonment. |
| 12. If the defendant fails to appear for marriage, custody or visitation cases, force may be used to bring him before the court. | 11. Child custody and visitation rulings shall be enforced by police if necessary. |
| 14. Force shall not be used for implementing a judgment of a wife's return to her marriage home. | 13. If a person abstains from implementing a child custody or visitation ruling, they shall be imprisoned for up to three months. |
| 16. In marriage, custody and maintenance cases, the woman may file the lawsuit in the court of her territory, and the defendant must appear before the court. | 15. Expeditious enforcement of rulings in favor of the woman regarding several maintenance, custody and visitation cases |
| 18. The court may issue provisional orders in favor of the woman to remove harm expeditiously. | 17. A woman may grant a power of attorney to any person regardless of kinship. |
| 20. Two copies of a marriage contract shall be issued: one for the husband and another for the wife, detailing and protecting her rights. | 19. A mother shall have guardianship over her children when their father dies or goes missing. |
| Legal decisions enhancing women's rights | |
| 2. The MoJ has employed women in six fields at the ministry. | 1. The Alimony Fund has been established to provide maintenance for the mother and her children during litigation. |
| 4. Licensed female lawyers are up 120%, totaling 244 lawyers. | 3. The MoJ granted women private notarization licenses. |
| 6. The MoJ has set up special centers for implementing child custody rulings away from police centers. | 5. The MoJ has launched a law practice diploma that qualifies women for law practice. |
| 8. The MoJ has implemented a fingerprinting system at judicial facilities to speed up procedures. | 7. The MoJ obliges marriage registrars to hear women's consent verbally. |
| 10. Woman's maintenance has priority over other debts of a man. | 9. The MoJ has created conciliation offices at courts to resolve several family issues. |
| 12. The MoJ has organized legal culture fairs to raise women's awareness of their rights. | 11. The mother has the right to guardianship over the children in her custody. |
| 14. Child custody and visitation shall be implemented in the country stated in the enforcement instrument. | 13. The family of a missing or absent person is entitled to social insurance pension. |
| 16. The MoJ has set up special offices at personal status courts serving women for free. | 15. Child custody and visitation rulings shall be implemented immediately. |
| 18. Women's marriage can be certified outside official working hours in special cases. | 17. Women are entitled to get custody of their children without litigation. |
Reducing inequality
National development requires achieving comprehensive economic prosperity that takes the environment into account. To ensure the realization of peace and prosperity; science, technology and innovation must be available to all in order to achieve development with a human dimension.
Due to increasing inequality in the world, the tenth goal of sustainable development aims to ensure equal opportunities. The Ministry of Justice has worked on achieving this by adopting legislation, initiatives and follow-up policies that ensure sustainable improvement of life conditions for all.
MoJ efforts to reduce inequality
1. Mobile Notarial Offices for the sick and elderly
This initiative provides notarial services at the location of disabled people, the elderly, the sick and inmates. The services are extended by mobile notaries who work in all regions under a governance system maintained by the ministry.
2. Eshara sign language service
The service offers sign language interpretation to enable effective communication between the service provider and the client while maintaining privacy, independence and flexibility. The service is extended through a platform that supports videoconferencing, available as a mobile app.
Features: Professional and high-quality standards; easy communication between the service provider and the deaf client; availability at all judicial facilities; availability of male and female interpreters; enhancement of the justice system identity in the community.
To use the service, please download the app
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3. Premarital support
This service allows carrying out all marriage contract procedures electronically without having to visit the court, including inquiries about marriage registrars, marriage e-contracts, and inquiries and verifications of marriage contracts.
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Peace, justice and strong institutions
Reducing the severity of conflicts and building peace are basic factors for the creation of prosperous and sustainable societies. There is a mutual relationship between development and security; neither of them can be achieved independently of the other.
Conciliation and mediation are among the most important means of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). This initiative aims to achieve a major development in providing conciliation services, so that it becomes the socially and economically preferred option for settling various disputes (financial, family, commercial, construction, real property, banking, medical, etc.), by building an integrated system for promoting the conciliation culture among both natural and legal persons, for various cases and at all stages of the relationship. This can be achieved through the development of a transformational vision, sustainable legislation, and implementing mechanisms; and the enhancement of the justice system's human and digital capacities to realize social and economic development, raise operational efficiency, maintain the relations between the parties, and strengthen community ties.
MoJ efforts to achieve justice and conciliation
1. Taradhi conciliation platform
The Ministry of Justice has expanded conciliation as it is one of the most important ADR methods and has an essential impact on reducing the influx of lawsuits. To enhance this human value, the initiative aims to develop a transformative vision, mechanisms, executive and legislative procedures, and effective working rules in order to upgrade conciliation work across the Kingdom. It also includes the development of staff, enablers and basic requirements for effective conciliation centers. The MoJ has established conciliation offices at courthouses to settle disputes and converge litigants' views in cases where conciliation is legally permissible. The conciliation system is supported by a partnership with the nonprofit sector.
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2. Shaml Initiative
In cooperation with the nonprofit sector, the Shaml initiative has set up centers for the implementation of child custody and visitation rulings in appropriate places that observe the rights of children and family privacy, instead of courts and police stations. In addition, the centers provide social and psychological support to parents and children.
