The Scoop
Saudi Arabia is lobbying fellow G20 countries to support its bid to host the bloc’s 2030 meeting, according to people familiar with the matter, as part of a series of events intended to celebrate the country’s economic development under Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and raise the kingdom’s profile internationally.
A joint communique from the crown prince and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the end of the pair’s meeting in Jeddah in July said that Ottawa supported the kingdom’s goal to host the 2030 summit. Saudi officials have also held discussions with diplomats from several other countries about supporting their bid, according to the people.
If successful, it will be the first time the G20 leaders’ summit is held in Riyadh, after a planned summit in 2020 was switched to a virtual gathering because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The G20 is being hosted by the US this year, followed by the UK and then South Korea in the coming two years. No further host countries have yet been confirmed. Saudi Arabia’s government communications department didn’t respond to requests for comment.
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Matthew’s view
Under the crown prince, Saudi Arabia has looked to expand its influence in global institutions and cement itself as a leader of the Arab and Islamic world. The target date for Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation plan is etched in the minds of every citizen and visitor to the country since Vision 2030 was unveiled more than a decade ago. The goal is not just to wean the economy off a reliance on oil sales, but to reshape society, the kingdom’s role in global affairs, and its reputation on the world stage.
While Saudi officials have become keen to stress 2030 is more about a direction than a destination, the date still carries huge symbolic importance. The government wants to have one of the world’s 15 largest economies by then, and it is hoping to be one of the world’s most visited countries, helped by events like the 2030 World Expo.
Holding the summit would give Saudi Arabia considerable sway over the G20 agenda, and a year-long calendar of events and engagements with foreign politicians and business leaders to shape perceptions of the country. Regardless of the patchy progress on some of Saudi’s most ambitious projects, visitors will see a country barely recognizable from the recent past.
Women are driving and playing a greater role in the workforce — part of a relaxation of the previous enforcement of a particularly austere interpretation of Islam. Foreigners and their money are also welcomed like never before, while investments in sports and tourism have helped shift perceptions of the kingdom. Landing the G20 would be a crowning achievement for the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Notable
- Ten years after its launch, Vision 2030 should be judged as an “exercise in national resilience,” not solely as an economic and social transformation program, writes Michael Ratney, the former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia.