Advancing social equity and inclusion: how social work and Vision 2030 are shaping Saudi Arabia’s evolving social framework

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has explicitly aligned many Vision 2030 goals with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The reforms launched by the Saudi government are the National Transformation Program and the Quality of Life Program, which address social equity and inclusion. Based on policy documents and national reports, this paper identifies the fast social and economic changes that are redefining access to welfare opportunities in the Kingdom. To achieve methodological transparency, the research used a systematic document review that included national policy documents, program reports, statistical releases, and peer-reviewed literature published in 2010–2024. The total number of documents screened and synthesized to map equity-related reforms and find patterns across sectors was 52. The discussion centered on the alignment of Vision 2030 initiatives with the three dimensions of the social justice theory, such as distributive, recognition, and participatory justice, and the implications of these dimensions on equity outcomes. Although the results suggest that a number of Vision 2030 initiatives have increased access to social support, enhanced opportunities to women, and enhanced services to persons with disabilities, they also indicate gaps in implementation and disparities in service access. The paper also examines the changing role of social workers, their possible role in policy delivery, community involvement, and program assessment alongside the reform agenda. The main contribution of this paper is the use of social justice theory as an analytical tool to explain the social equity aspirations of Vision 2030, thereby offering a theoretically informed evaluation of national reforms and explaining the professional relevance of social work in this regard.