The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to strengthen cooperation in quality, sustainability and innovation.
The agreement was signed under the patronage and in the presence of the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman Alfadley. It establishes a framework for coordination and collaboration to exchange expertise, share knowledge, and improve quality management, institutional excellence, and operational processes.
The ministry was represented at the signing by Mr. Yahya Sharif Ghazwani, Deputy Minister for Planning and Institutional Excellence, and SASO was represented by Mr. Shihab Aljabreen, Assistant Governor for Planning and Strategy.
The MoU aims to improve institutional performance by evaluating the effectiveness of quality practices, reviewing relevant standards, analyzing assessment results, recommending improvements and monitoring their implementation and impact. It also provides for a structured knowledge-sharing framework through a Quality Ambassadors Program.
Under the agreement, the two parties will work together to develop and update technical regulations, assess product risks and their environmental impacts, and use environmental impact assessment findings to inform regulatory development. They will also cooperate on environmental sustainability in the use of modern agricultural technologies, as well as standards for various types of fertilizers.
The partnership will also support research and innovation, facilitate the exchange of expertise and emerging technologies, and promote innovation initiatives, including the Nebras National Platform for foresight in research and innovation for sustainability. Other areas of cooperation include joint research programs, scientific publications, innovation events and the development of quality infrastructure through data exchange, measurement accuracy verification, calibration services and technical proficiency programs.
The MoU also covers the regulation of heavy equipment and efforts to improve compliance, strengthen regulatory and technical coordination, and conduct joint public awareness and media campaigns.
In addition, the parties will cooperate on training ministry employees in quality infrastructure, providing advisory services, training programs and workshops, and supporting the ministry in obtaining the Saudi Quality Mark for service development. They will also encourage entities overseen by the ministry to obtain the certification.
The agreement reflects broader efforts to strengthen integration among government entities, promote knowledge exchange and institutional development, and advance innovation and sustainability to improve operational efficiency and service quality across the environment, water and agriculture sectors.