Saudi Arabia Risks Forum

The Global Risks Forum – National Engagement Series: Saudi Arabia is an annual, hybrid-format initiative led by NWG Saudi Arabia, an independent alliance of national experts, technologists, and international collaborators. Operating autonomously from the Government of Saudi Arabia and free from political affiliation, NWG Saudi Arabia provides a nonpartisan platform for systems-based engagement in disaster risk reduction (DRR), disaster risk finance (DRF), and disaster risk intelligence (DRI).

As part of the broader mandate of the Global Risks Alliance (GRA) and the Global Risks Forum (GRF), this national forum convenes diverse stakeholders from the quintuple helix—academia, civil society, private sector, international organizations, and government actors (participating as stakeholders only)—to address complex environmental, technological, and economic risks in the context of rapid transformation and Vision 2030.

Strategic Purpose

The Saudi Arabia edition is designed to:

• Address emerging risks from climate change, water scarcity, energy transition, urban expansion, and digital infrastructure vulnerability;
• Support anticipatory governance frameworks in smart city planning, public health, and economic diversification;
• Advance responsible innovation and frontier technologies in disaster risk management and ESG-aligned investment;
• Strengthen cross-border knowledge exchange and regional cooperation across the Gulf and MENA region.

Sessions emphasize simulation-based policy design, forward-looking finance, and co-creation of multi-sector resilience strategies in alignment with sustainable development and long-term national planning.

Technical Foundation: Nexus Ecosystem Integration

The forum is powered by the Nexus Ecosystem, a quantum-cloud-enabled infrastructure combining AI, blockchain, and real-time simulation to support dynamic risk governance and collective intelligence. Key Nexus capabilities for Saudi Arabia include:

• AI-powered scenario planning for water security, heat stress, and energy system resilience
• Geospatial intelligence for desertification monitoring, urban sprawl management, and biodiversity loss
• Blockchain-based disaster finance tools for anticipatory funding, ESG investment, and transparency in infrastructure planning
• Digital twin models for megacities, smart mobility, and national infrastructure
• IoT-connected early warning systems for extreme weather, industrial zones, and health system strain
• Cyber-physical risk dashboards for hybrid threats to digital and energy infrastructure
• Localized risk benchmarking indices aligned with Vision 2030 and global resilience frameworks

These tools enable adaptive governance, predictive analytics, and participatory planning across sectors and governance layers.

Governance and Participation

NWG Saudi Arabia is fully institutionally independent, governed in accordance with the ethical, scientific, and participatory values of the GRA and GRF. It is not affiliated with or accountable to any governmental or political body, ensuring integrity, objectivity, and inclusive participation.

Participation is open to technologists, researchers, civil society leaders, infrastructure planners, sustainability professionals, and financial innovators. The forum promotes horizontal learning, collaborative foresight, and digital resilience strategies aligned with global innovation standards.