ID: 1567
Presenting Author: Majed Shaabein
Session: 552 - Accelerating with Integrity: Strengthening Social Impact Assessment in the face of urgency and misinformation
Status: pending
Showcasing how focus group discussions in Saudi Arabia is conducted by Red Sea Global informed a community-driven development plan, aligning local priorities with national strategies and global guides
Participatory approaches are critical in ensuring social assessments translate into meaningful, community-driven development. This paper highlights Red Sea Global’s (RSG) case of focus group discussions (FGDs) as part of its Socio-Economic Baseline Study (SEBS) to capture the priorities, challenges, and aspirations of local communities in close to RSG’s Projects. FGDs provided a culturally appropriate space for dialogue, enabling participants—including women, youth, and fisherfolk—to articulate nuanced perspectives often overlooked in traditional survey methods.
The insights gathered informed the design of RSG’s Community Development Plan (CDP), ensuring interventions respond directly to locally identified needs. Key themes that emerged included education and skills development, employment pathways, cultural heritage preservation, and environmental stewardship. These findings were then systematically integrated into a results framework aligned with national strategies such as Vision 2030 and international benchmarks including IFC Performance Standards and UNDP SES.
The paper demonstrates how structured FGDs not only enrich baseline data but also strengthen legitimacy, trust, and co-ownership of development outcomes. By linking community voices to actionable strategies, the CDP reflects a model of regenerative tourism where social sustainability is central. Lessons learned from the process offer practical guidance for practitioners seeking to embed participatory tools in impact assessment and development planning.
Majed Shaabein is a Social Impact Senior Specialist at Red Sea Global, MIT sustainability professional, specializing in community development, participatory planning, and impact assessment
Coauthor 1: Faisal Alyousef