Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman recently launched the Human Capability Development Program (HCDP), one of the most important programs of the future vision of Saudi Arabia.

Why is this program, which has so many initiatives within it, so important? This is because the program aims to build and invest in the human being, who is the essence of the functioning of any state and also its goal and tool at the same time.

I mean, no matter how tall the structure is, how wide the roads are and how much plenty the livelihood is — all of these are worthless without the presence of a conscious, capable and enterprising human being.

Therefore, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman explained the matter explicitly, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. The Crown Prince said that this program is “one of the realization programs to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and that the program represents a national strategy to strengthen citizen’s capabilities locally and globally.”

What is the aim of this program?

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, the architect and supervisor of the Vision 2030, guides us to this goal, which is “to strengthen citizen’s capabilities so as to make him ready for the current and future labor market with capabilities and ambitions that compete with the world, and that is through: instilling and promoting values, developing basic and future skills, and developing knowledge.”

How is it made possible?

“By promoting values, developing basic and future skills, and developing knowledge,” as spelled out specifically by the Crown Prince in his speech. It is an investment in the Saudi person that regulates his entire life.

The Crown Prince said: “This program has been developed to meet the needs and aspirations of all segments of society, beginning from childhood passing through universities, colleges, technical and vocational institutes, and reaching the labor market, with the goal of preparing citizens for the future, as this contributes to building a solid economy based on skills and knowledge and with human capital at its core.”

The most important thing is that it is impossible for this program to succeed without inculcating the values necessary to build this capable Saudi human being who is competitive everywhere in the world. The most important of these values are moderation and tolerance.

The text of the Human Capability Development Program, included the question: How does a Saudi person work in every environment in this world, and compete with any human being in the world, as is the goal of the program, while he is closed in on himself and adamant in his opinion?

Therefore, the focal point is to work practically and not theoretically, to inculcate these values in the public space — in education, media and public culture; in tolerance and again tolerance; and in acceptance and again acceptance, which are the key to building the personality of the active and interactive human being on the surface of this earth.

The picture becomes clearer when we reveal these meanings more vividly in the real world with showing the images of both those who accept and reject it... We must accept the diverse segments and sects among the people, while at the same time being proud of our cultural identity.

It is great that the new Saudi program pays great attention to these values. The task for this remains on the shoulders of those who are assigned to disseminate education, media and culture as well as on all those who are instrumental in producing reason and opinion.

And hence we can start from here.

— This article was originally published in Asharq al-Awsat.