Saudi Forum Shows UN How Endowments Drive Green Growth

Saudi Arabia brought an unexpected solution to the UN's sustainability challenge: transforming centuries-old charitable endowments into engines for environmental progress.

The Saudi Green Building Forum shared its success story at a United Nations roundtable in New York during the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The event focused on how traditional charitable institutions can support modern climate and development goals.

The forum started as a regular nonprofit in 2010 but became something different four years later. By converting into a public endowment in 2014, it became the first charitable trust dedicated specifically to sustainable building and environmental development.

Secretary-General Faisal Alfadl explained how the transformation changed what endowments could accomplish. Instead of just managing property like traditional trusts, this new model invests in people, funds development projects, shares knowledge, and sparks innovation across multiple industries.

The results speak for themselves. The forum now connects more than 10,000 members and has documented over 5,000 sustainability projects across Saudi Arabia. It has organized conferences, launched training programs, created a marketplace for sustainable businesses, and established awards recognizing green development achievements.

The Ripple Effect

The forum's approach touches four key areas: education and training, creating quality jobs, fighting climate change, and building partnerships. Through these priorities, it contributes to broader goals including clean water access, renewable energy expansion, sustainable cities, and responsible consumption patterns.

What makes this model powerful is how it brings everyone to the table. The forum's governance structure unites government agencies, private companies, community organizations, and international institutions under one umbrella. This collaborative approach helps projects move faster and reach further than any single group could manage alone.

The presentation highlighted how Saudi Arabia is reimagining its nonprofit sector for the 21st century. By showing endowments can create lasting social, economic, and environmental value, the Kingdom is offering other nations a blueprint for mobilizing charitable resources toward urgent global challenges.

This model proves that traditional institutions don't have to become obsolete when the world changes around them. Sometimes the oldest frameworks can support the newest solutions, creating bridges between generations while building a more sustainable future for everyone.