Opportunità per le donne grazie alla Visione 2030: intervista alla Vicedirettrice di Arab News

“Enormous and incredible changes have already taken place,” says Noor Nugali, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of ‘Arab News’, in an interview with Adnkronos at the ‘Saudi village’ event in Rome. The event, organized by the Saudi Arabian embassy, celebrates the national holiday of the Kingdom and marks the 90th anniversary of the relationship between Rome and Riyadh.

“We all thought that something so big couldn’t be achieved,” Nugali emphasizes. “But after seven years, we now have women ambassadors, a total of eight around the world. The first was Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, and the latest is Her Excellency Haifa Al-jedea, recently appointed as the head of the Saudi mission to the EU.”

“This simply shows that women have been working hard for a long time. They had the skills, but lacked the opportunities to demonstrate their value. They were not lacking in talent, but in possibilities. Now that the doors are open, we see women CEOs, directors, and managers in all fields, and this fills our hearts with pride. We admire their abilities and entrepreneurial spirit,” highlights the Saudi journalist.

“We are ahead in achieving our goals”

Nugali then states that the realization of the goals of Vision 2030 is ongoing and mentions that “just a few days ago, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman gave an interview to Fox News where he emphasized that we are not only on time but ahead” of the schedule.

Nugali highlights that “for example, women now own 40% of small businesses, and this process only started seven years ago when Vision 2030 was announced. The numbers are better than expected every day.” The same applies, she suggests, “for female unemployment. The numbers are much lower compared to last year and improve every year” because “Vision 2030 is not just a plan of the leadership, who announced the project, but of the entire country. The entire Saudi population is enthusiastic about realizing this magnificent vision and making it a reality.”

According to Nugali, “there is a great effort by our leadership, and we know they are working day and night to achieve this goal. But even at the popular level, everyone is involved.” “70% of our country’s population,” Nugali adds, “is under 35 years old, which speaks volumes about how young the population is. We are aware of their enthusiasm, great ambitions, and how hard they are working to turn them into reality.”

“In Italy, as well as in our country, families raise intelligent and determined girls”

“Italy is very dear and close to our hearts. I think we have so many similarities, especially in the way people think,” says Nugali, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of ‘Arab News’. Nugali mentions that “both cultures have a great love for family. Saudis spend a lot of time with family and we love food just like you do.”

“We also have a very strong bond with our grandparents, and I know this exists here in Italy too. Our grandmothers have strong and extraordinary resilience. They have raised intelligent and determined girls.”

“Our love for football also brings us together. So, I think there are many things in common that bring us closer, and I hope that one day there will be more exchange of tourists between the two countries. Many Saudi tourists already come to Italy, and we would love to welcome more Italians to Saudi Arabia,” concludes Nugali, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of ‘Arab News’.