The annual royal speech...a national document and road map

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The annual royal speech in the Saudi Shura Council is a road map for the council’s work in its new session, a national reference for determining the country’s internal and foreign policy, and a guiding framework that defines the priorities for the next stage, while the speech reviews indicators of the results of the country’s development renaissance in light of Saudi Vision 2030, and ways to diversify the economic base and sources of income and invest available energies and wealth, in addition to highlighting Riyadh’s positions towards regional issues.

In the same context, the annual royal speech directs the Shura Council and its members to address issues according to their specialization, leading to decisions that enhance the performance of government agencies, as the speech includes various elements that guide the members of the Council in their legislative and regulatory work, within the framework of reviewing and drafting laws and legislative texts, in addition to the role of the Council in its oversight capacity over the government’s work, as it reviews the reports of executive authorities and issues recommendations in support of the decisions.

For his part, the Speaker of the Shura Council, Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, affirms that “the annual royal speech represents a national reference that guides the Shura Council in performing its mission and serving the nation and the citizen, with contents that outline the state’s directions and priorities,” pointing to the solid position that the speech has gained over the years as a comprehensive national document that reviews the Kingdom’s policies and directions, keeps pace with the rapid development and transformations it is witnessing, and illuminates the Council’s paths of work in developing... The legislative system, and enhancing performance efficiency, in order to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and its future aspirations.

In a related context, he pointed out that during the work of the second year of the ninth session, the Shura Council continued to perform its legislative and oversight tasks, as it held 46 sessions, during which it issued 555 decisions that dealt with the annual reports of government agencies, rules and regulations, and memorandums of understanding and cooperation, in a way that contributes to developing performance and supporting the comprehensive development process in the Kingdom.

He explained that the Council’s specialized committees played an active role in studying the issues presented to the Council, as they held 376 meetings during the past Shura year, in which 331 officials from the relevant authorities participated, within the framework of discussing the topics, completing aspects of their study, and enhancing integration and coordination with government agencies, in a way that enriches the Council’s work and raises the quality of its outputs.

He stated that the Shura Council, as an extension of the Kingdom's international presence and influential status, recorded remarkable activity in parliamentary diplomacy, through 135 internal and external parliamentary activities, which varied between participations, meetings and visits, and contributed to strengthening relations with councils and parliaments, and opening broader horizons for cooperation and exchange of parliamentary expertise and experiences.

For his part, Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council, Dr. Meshaal Al-Sulami, stressed that the annual royal speech is of great importance in shaping the Kingdom’s internal and foreign policies, stressing that the Kingdom is witnessing a comprehensive renaissance, has strategic weight and an influential presence regionally and internationally, and has achieved qualitative transformations and developmental gains in all fields.

He pointed out that the successive political, economic and security changes that the region and the world are going through highlight the Saudi approach, which combines consolidating security and stability, giving priority to dialogue and peaceful solutions in addressing crises, and building effective partnerships, alliances and initiatives to confront challenges, which was embodied in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement and the establishment of the multinational maritime defense alliance.

Assistant Speaker of the Shura Council, Dr. Hanan Al-Ahmadi, stressed that the royal speech constitutes a platform for the Shura Council in its work, because of the contents and directives it contains that define priorities, anticipate the requirements of the next stage, and place the issues of the nation and the citizen at the forefront of attention, thus enhancing the Council’s contribution to studying regulations, reports, and agreements, and discussing topics related to the development process, in keeping with the rapid transformations that the Kingdom is witnessing in various fields.

The Assistant Speaker of the Shura Council indicated that the contents of the royal speech “go beyond the dimension related to the work of the Shura Council to present a comprehensive map of the Kingdom’s policy internally and externally, and its development, modernization and building for the future, in addition to the firm positions it embodies towards regional and international issues, and its efforts to support security, stability and peace, which makes the speech a subject of wide interest and follow-up because of the visions and contents it carries that reflect the deserved status.”

In a related context, the Secretary-General of the Shura Council, Muhammad Al-Mutairi, explained that the contents of the speech represent a road map for the Council’s work during the next stage, with the directives and visions it contains that anticipate the requirements of the next stage, and reflect the state’s interest in enhancing the efficiency of institutional performance, developing the performance of government agencies, and accelerating development paths and prosperity.

He pointed out that the annual royal speech constitutes an important milestone in the process of the Shura Council work, in light of which it continues to perform its legislative and oversight powers, based on the support and empowerment it receives from the wise leadership in a way that enhances its contributions to developing systems and legislation, raising the efficiency of government performance, and supporting the process of construction and development.

He explained that the Council carries out its legislative role by studying draft rules and regulations, reviewing them, and developing them in a way that keeps pace with changes, and contributes to building an effective legislative system that responds to the requirements of the present and anticipates the future, in addition to its supervisory role, which contributes to enhancing the efficiency of government work, developing services, and raising their level of quality.

He stressed that the Shura Council is keen, within the framework of its powers, that its work and outputs are reflected in the national development process, through developing the legislative and regulatory environment, and enhancing the efficiency of public policies, in a way that supports the Kingdom’s competitiveness, creates an environment that accommodates the rapid transformations, and supports the qualitative projects and initiatives that the Kingdom is witnessing in various sectors.