PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIAN UNIVERSITIES AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AS A TOOL FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This research examined the potential for partnerships between Saudi Arabian universities and civil society organizations as a tool for sustainable development, particularly in light of Vision 2030. The research focused on the opinions of stakeholders regarding the value of a partnership between academic institutions and community organizations in realizing the 2030 vision. The research included participation from 188 stakeholders from three partnership frameworks involving three institutions and three civil organizations. The study’s methodology is quantitative, and the population was surveyed using a questionnaire to gather pertinent data. According to the findings, there are four key factors that must be present for a successful partnership between Saudi Arabian universities and civil society organizations. These factors are: mutual understanding of the purpose of the partnership, inclusivity in decision-making, clarity in the roles of each party in the partnership, and effective communication between the two parties. The results show that collaboration between universities and civil society organizations has been a successful tool for sustainable development, particularly in realizing the 2030 goal. While more than 89% of the study population agreed that a lack of understanding and appreciation of the benefits and potential of collaboration hinders the development and long-term sustainability of university–civil society relationships, more than 61% of participants disagreed that funding is a major problem or challenge in the partnership system. Thus, it is argued that the collaboration between Saudi universities and civic organizations is successful in realizing the country’s 2030 Vision for sustainable development. Keywords: Partnerships, Saudi Arabian Universities, Civil Society Organizations, Vision 2030 DOI： https://doi.org/10.35741/issn.0258-2724.58.5.25