As global development challenges become increasingly interconnected, traditional assistance models can no longer provide sufficient responses on their own. Countries need partnerships that bring together financing, technical expertise, institutional knowledge, innovation and solutions shaped by local priorities.

A new report developed by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Economy and Planning in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, The Future of Global Development: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Transition from Aid to Integrated Solutions, explores how the Kingdom’s international development engagement has evolved over seven decades. What began primarily as financial and humanitarian assistance is gradually becoming a broader model of cooperation built on knowledge exchange, mutual benefit and respect for national ownership.

At the centre of this transition is a clear principle: development cooperation is most effective when it responds to the priorities identified by partner countries themselves.

Saudi Arabia’s international development journey began in the 1950s and was further structured with the establishment of the Saudi Fund for Development in 1974. Since then, the Kingdom has supported development efforts across 173 countries, including hundreds of infrastructure projects designed to improve essential services and strengthen economic and social development.

Under Vision 2030, this contribution has expanded beyond financial support. Saudi institutions are increasingly sharing expertise in fields where the Kingdom has developed significant experience and capacity, including water management, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, public health, agriculture and digital transformation.

This evolution reflects the growing importance of South-South and triangular cooperation. These approaches allow developing countries to exchange knowledge, adapt successful practices to their own contexts and build partnerships based on shared experience rather than one-directional assistance.

The report shows how the experience generated through Vision 2030 can contribute to international dialogue and support practical solutions tailored to the needs of countries across the Global South. In this context, Saudi Arabia is emerging not only as a provider of development support, but also as a platform for technical exchange, partnerships and collective problem-solving.

Initiatives highlighted in the report cover areas such as clean energy, water security, responsible artificial intelligence, cybersecurity capacity development, global health and sustainable agriculture. Together, they demonstrate how Saudi institutions, development funds, humanitarian organizations and private-sector actors can bring complementary capabilities to a shared development framework.

The report also emphasizes the connection between humanitarian response and long-term development, particularly through the complementary roles of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre and the Saudi Fund for Development. While KSrelief responds to urgent humanitarian needs in crisis-affected communities, longer-term development interventions can help rebuild infrastructure, restore essential services and reduce dependence on emergency assistance.

This connection is visible in water and sanitation initiatives across Africa and Asia. In Somalia, for example, a joint initiative by the Saudi Fund for Development and UNDP is supporting the construction of solar-powered boreholes to improve sustainable access to water for communities affected by drought.

In Yemen, a project supported by KSrelief and implemented by UNDP is helping women establish and lead renewable-energy enterprises. By combining vocational training, business development support and access to clean-energy technologies, the initiative shows how humanitarian action can also create opportunities for livelihoods, resilience and economic participation.

UNDP contributes to these partnerships through its global reach, technical expertise and implementation capacity. Working across 170 countries and territories, the organization plays a supporting role in connecting Saudi financing and institutional knowledge with governments, local communities, civil society organizations and international partners.

This helps ensure that initiatives are adapted to local conditions, aligned with national development priorities and delivered through transparent processes with measurable results. UNDP’s role also extends beyond project implementation to include policy advice, institutional capacity development, knowledge exchange and the design of triangular cooperation models that can be replicated in different contexts.

Through this partnership, Saudi expertise contributes to development efforts across diverse development settings, while lessons and experiences from partner countries can help shape future cooperation. This two-way exchange is essential to building development solutions that are locally owned, internationally connected and capable of generating lasting impact.

The report offers a practical contribution to the evolving future of development cooperation. Its central message is that financing remains essential, but financing alone cannot deliver sustainable progress. Long-term development also requires knowledge, capable institutions, technology, strong partnerships and respect for national ownership.

By bringing together the capabilities of Saudi institutions and UNDP’s global development network, the partnership is helping advance a more integrated approach, one that moves beyond traditional aid and towards solutions designed to deliver sustainable and lasting results.