The Shura Council called on the Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation to increase its direct flights and domestic destinations in order to achieve the transport and logistics strategy, support economic growth, and achieve the air cargo target in line with its strategy and the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

The Council called on the Ministry of Health to develop mechanisms for rapid reporting of food poisoning outbreaks, to create a unified electronic program linking relevant authorities, to increase the capacity of early cancer detection services by providing the necessary equipment and examination supplies, to establish a unified database to link all relevant authorities, to expedite the patient experience survey immediately after the patient finishes visiting the health center or health facility, to work on providing the necessary technical tools for data governance, and to employ and train qualified personnel in the field of data management and protection.

The council also called on the Saudi Red Crescent Authority to address the shortage of field ambulance personnel to meet the increased population density and demand for ambulance services. This includes establishing assembly centers in operational sectors of major cities, replacing outdated buildings in regions, governorates, and rural areas with more suitable facilities for ambulance teams, and enhancing the authority's efficiency in volunteering, community partnerships, and the number of volunteers.

The Shura Council, in its 43rd regular session of the fourth year of the eighth term, held today under the chairmanship of the Vice President of the Council, Dr. Meshaal Al-Salmi, issued decisions regarding about 18 reports, while 18 reports are being discussed today, in the presence of a number of officials from government agencies.

The council called on the Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority - in coordination with relevant authorities - to work on increasing the number of licenses in the production sector, especially in outlying villages and industrial clusters, and to develop a mechanism for monitoring bills and smart meters in order to raise the level of accuracy in their data.

The Council issued a resolution calling on the Ministry of Information to coordinate with the National Development Fund and relevant authorities to study the establishment of a fund for the development of the media sector and the financing of its projects, to accelerate the governance of executive roles and responsibilities related to the Ministry and media bodies, to activate statistical data units, and to work on building performance indicators that measure the ability of the Saudi media system to enhance the Kingdom’s image before the world.

The Council called on the Ministry of Economy and Planning to find supportive solutions to achieve the required digital transformation measurement targets, improve its ranking in this regard, raise the percentage of achievement of the targets set for non-profit organizations operating under its supervision in line with achieving the required impact, update the electronic application (Pulse by MEP) by adding a feature that allows researchers and students to benefit from the application’s features, prepare forward-looking studies to address the economic threats affecting the required levels of economic security, and implement an initiative to design and develop a mechanism to enable and motivate the private sector to contribute to sustainability work in the Kingdom to bridge the gap between the current practices of companies and the government’s targets in this regard.

The Council called on the Government Spending and Projects Efficiency Authority to work with priority entities in the overall sustainability pillars program to improve performance indicators, raise their targets, and coordinate with relevant entities to establish spending standards within the key performance indicators for government entities, develop a mechanism for governing the procedures for studying financing requests, and explore suitable options with the General Authority for State Properties to move to a suitable building.

The council called on the Equestrian Authority to expedite the governance of the sector and to take into account the jurisdictions of the relevant equestrian bodies.

The council called on the Decision Support Center to study the opportunities that should be prepared for and to create a local and regulatory environment to accommodate them, and to develop performance indicators and targets that are consistent with the center’s objectives and operational plans.

The Council stressed to the Ministry of Hajj, in coordination with the relevant authorities, the need to expedite the completion and development of the corridors between the holy sites, by preparing them and expanding the planting of trees suitable for the environment, in order to reduce the direct sunlight and heat, and to improve the skills of workers in the field service to ensure distinguished services for pilgrims and Umrah performers, by adopting distinctive and effective training programs.

The Council discussed the reports of the Ministry of Media, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Saudi Center for Strategic Partnerships, the National Risk Council, and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. It listened to the members' comments on the report of the Hail Region Development Authority, the annual report of the Red Crescent, the report of the Decision Support Center, the report of the Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority, the report of the Spending Efficiency Authority, and the Equestrian Authority, and approved the draft Real Estate Transactions Tax System.

Iman Al-Zahrani to the Decision Support Center: Open channels of communication with public opinion

Council member Dr. Iman bint Saad Al-Zahrani called on the Decision Support Center to provide communication channels with the public through the media, establish a website, and publish appropriate data and information for the public electronically.

I suggested to the Human Resources Committee that it adopt a recommendation stipulating that the Decision Support Center “create its website and open channels of communication with the public, in order to support transparency, strengthen the link between the decision-maker and the beneficiaries, and contribute to educating and raising public awareness about the decisions that are made.”.

Al-Zahrani emphasized that one of the center's tasks is to make timely decisions, improve their effectiveness, and ensure appropriate accuracy. Given its organizational affiliation with the Royal Court, the center is dedicated to shaping public policy and decision-making through: conducting studies, collecting data, establishing mechanisms to ensure sound decision-making, and monitoring and analyzing public opinion trends on various issues using diverse monitoring tools such as public opinion polls, media surveys, and field observations on priority topics and issues. She explained that the center has measured public opinion trends on various topics using diverse methods, including telephone calls, online interviews, and field surveys, and has conducted 38 polls with the participation of more than 50,000 citizens from across the Kingdom. However, there is a lack of public awareness campaigns regarding decisions and issues of concern to citizens, both before and after their issuance. This is compounded by the absence of a website for the center since its establishment in 1437 AH (2015/2016 CE), and the lack of sufficient communication channels with the public.

She noted that the center's output increased by 29% compared to last year, totaling 222 outputs across various fields and topics. These include reports on international indicators; the center issued eight reports during the reporting year analyzing the Kingdom's performance in various global indices, such as the World Happiness Index, the Consumer Confidence Index, and the Anholt National Identity Index. She emphasized that for the Kingdom to be among the most competitive nations globally, it is essential to expand the study of its performance in international indicators, particularly those where the Kingdom's ranking has declined. This will enhance the Kingdom's competitiveness both domestically and internationally, enabling the adoption of appropriate decisions and the implementation of reforms.