Measuring national preparedness using The Saudi Arabia Resilience Index

The paper introduces the Saudi Arabia Resilience Index (Smood) as an overall framework to assess and improve the readiness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for risk management, emergency management, and business continuity management. Through the integration of resiliency into the heart of its national development agenda, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is responding to the growing regional risks presented by rapid urbanisation, economic growth, and expansive and diverse geography.

Moreover, the processes followed by the government are based on the adoption and implementation of the Sendai Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction to achieve countrywide protection. National Risk Council initiatives, policies and structures are structured to respond to the priorities of the Sendai Framework, which includes national risk assessment, prevention programs, vulnerability reduction, and improved efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response and recovery planning.

The Saudi Arabia Resilience Index focuses on the alignment and integration of governance, policies, and procedures with a skilled workforce in order to build national resilience to diverse threats. The index is designed along the lines of three results-oriented objectives that are supported by 10 broad objectives. These goals, measures with 16 components, include 113 performance measures, each measured on a standardised seven-level scale of maturity. The resilience index reinforces institutional capabilities and capacities, encourages compliance with best practices, and improves the overall resilience of the Kingdom and its ability to respond efficiently and recovery quickly during crisis events by facilitating systematic monitoring and evaluation.