The UQU President, Prof. Moaddi bin Muhammad Aal Madh-hab, on behalf of the academic and administrative staff members and students, extended thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, (may Allah safeguard them) for the great support and attention they provide for the Saudi Vision 2030, which, in the last five years, yielded qualitative and quantitative developments in all fields as well as economic growth in line with the quality of life provided in our dear homeland.

Moreover, the UQU President congratulated His Excellency the Minister of Education and His Excellency the Deputy Minister for Universities, Research and Innovation on this occasion, appreciating the record achievements made by the educational system in a short period of time under the leadership of the ministry and its initiatives, which are in keeping with the objectives of the programs of the Saudi Vision. The president pointed out that the university is proud of its achieved development programs which serve the outputs of the vision, and it endeavors to exert more effort to implement national, community and economic initiatives, achieving the desired aspirations and promoting growth and prosperity.

Dr. Moaddi stressed that the report of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, which reviewed the significant achievements of the Saudi Vision 2030 five years after its launch and was published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) yesterday, Sunday, provides a roadmap for the accomplished achievements and proves the success of the objectives of the vision and its countless impact. He added that the report reviewed the development achievements and figures, which could not have been accomplished without the support of a wise leadership, cooperative citizens, and community determination.

Furthermore, the UQU President said that the Saudi Vision 2030 proved successful through its radical and rapid transformation that supports its foundations in establishing an empowerment infrastructure, building institutional and legislative structures, and developing general policies. This is in addition to supporting and empowering national initiatives and following up their implementation, with the objective of boosting the wheel of achievement and enhancing citizen and private sector participation in achieving the desired goals.

As Dr. Moaddi noted, the university has developed its strategic plan to achieve an advanced position in the world university rankings and to be included within the top 200 universities at the global level. To that end, the university has paid great attention to scientific expansion and innovation to cope with the programs of the Saudi Vision (13 programs) through various initiatives and partnerships with the public and private sectors as well as the third sector. He confirmed the success of the university initiatives, which are compatible with the objectives of the vision. The initiatives include: the digital transformation programs, the enhancement of cybersecurity fields with young cadres, development and training programs in modeling and modern technology thereby motivating creativity, participation with research and studies to improve the experience of the performers of Hajj and `Umrah, and the increase in the level of women's empowerment in leading jobs and positions. That is to be added to the university's voluntary contributions in various fields within the endeavors to increase the number of volunteers to one million by the year 2030.

The UQU President said that the success mentioned in the report of the programs, specifically those that serve the pilgrims during Hajj and `Umrah, increase the accommodation capacity of the pilgrims, expand the development and automation of Hajj and Umrah service systems, and enhance the visitor's experience, is considered a strategic objective for Umm Al-Qura University. This is due to its unique spatial advantage near the holy sites and its unique knowledge advantage in producing scientific research which can be converted to smart products capable of making the visitor's experience unparalleled and enriching.