Saudi Arabia launches public charity platforms, awareness drives to ensure transparency

An Iraqi girl begs in the street in front of a bicycle market in the Al-Sadreyh neighborhood, central Baghdad, May 24, 2019. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Updated 07 April 2022
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Saudi Arabia launches public charity platforms, awareness drives to ensure transparency

  • State-regulated online platforms have revolutionized the way public donations are collected and used
  • Awareness campaigns have aided efforts to make sure donations do not end up lining the pockets of criminals

JEDDAH: Charity is part and parcel of Ramadan for any Muslim who can afford to donate to the needy. In fact, zakat, as it is known, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

However, this spirit of generosity is all too often exploited by criminals who mobilize women, children, the elderly and the disabled to enrich themselves.

In Saudi Arabia, the government has responded to the problem by launching a number of state-regulated charity platforms as well as public-awareness drives whose objective is to prevent such exploitation and ensure that donations do not end up financing terrorism.




Well-meaning donors are discouraged from shelling out money that could end up financing terrorist activities. (Supplied)

The Kingdom’s Presidency of State Security recently launched a powerful social-media campaign featuring a video in which a woman coerces three children to beg in the streets.

When a passer-by hands the women money, she places it in her shirt pocket, exposing an assault rifle and a suicide vest hidden beneath her black garb.

The woman then removes her veil to reveal she is in fact a man in disguise. The message is simple: “Donating to unknown individuals increases the possibility of terrorist financing.”

 

 

Saudi Arabia introduced a new anti-beggary law in 2021. Under its provisions, anyone who engages in begging, incites begging or helps begging in any way can face up to six months in jail, a fine of SR50,000 ($13,329), or both.

Culprits within an organized group that engages in begging, meanwhile, can face up to a year in jail, a fine of $26,659, or both.

Under the anti-begging law, anyone who asks for money directly or indirectly, fakes injuries or disabilities, or uses children to influence others into giving them money is considered a beggar.

Non-Saudi offenders can be deported after serving their sentence and can be banned from re-entering the Kingdom. A newly revised statute also considered begging through social-media platforms to be equal to traditional begging.

While there are genuinely needy people in the relatively affluent Arab Gulf countries who beg during the holy month of Ramadan, criminal groups have been known to run elaborate syndicates, trafficking vulnerable people into Saudi Arabia to collect money on their behalf.




Non-Saudi offenders of the anti-begging law can be deported after serving their sentence. (SPA file photo)

Ali, a Yemeni boy who claims to be 12-years-old but looks much younger, spends his days with two other boys of a similar age begging and cleaning car windshields on one of Jeddah’s main bridges.

“I came less than a year ago,” Ali told Arab News, squeegee and soap bottle in hand on the busy roadside. “I just want to help my family. I can’t go home now without making any money. I have a family. Please help.”

On a nearby street corner, elderly men and women in wheelchairs wait for passing motorists to stop to give them food or money, clutching papers claiming they cannot afford their medical expenses.

At the traffic lights, disheveled children holding infants on their hips tap on the windows of passing vehicles, open palms upturned begging for loose change.

The sight is familiar throughout the Middle East. But even the most trusting of people can be left with the nagging doubt: Where does the money go? Could this scene, which never fails to tug at the heartstrings, have been staged by an unseen handler? Are the motorists only fueling the problem by handing out cash?




Well-meaning donors are discouraged from shelling out money that could end up financing terrorist activities. (Supplied)

The Kingdom’s countermeasures are not confined to street-level begging. Saudi authorities have for some time focused on combating criminal gangs and extremist groups fraudulently posing as legitimate charitable organizations.

In 2016, the Interior Ministry said that it was illegal for organizations to raise funds without first obtaining a permit from the relevant authorities.

Charitable organizations have also been called on to become more transparent about how they collect and use public donations. The government’s own digitalization drive has greatly improved transparency and increased efficiency in the delivery of e-services.

The digital transformation is expanding in the charitable sector with the creation of new regulated services, including Ehsan, Shefaa, KSrelief, and the National Donations Platform, developed and supervised by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.

Ehsan, a platform launched in 2021, enables philanthropists and donors to choose from a selection of charitable causes that they deem close to their heart, from social and economic issues, to health, education and the environment.

By focusing on individual values and specific societal issues, Ehsan aims to encourage a greater sense of social responsibility among the general public and private-sector organizations, while also promoting a culture of transparency in charitable giving.

INNUMBERS

$1.4 billion - Donations made through the KSrelief platform.

$386.5 million - Donations through the Ehsan platform.

$25.9 million - Donations through the Shefaa platform.

One of Ehsan’s services, the Furijat initiative, is a debt-repayment scheme for people convicted of financial crimes who are released from prison once their debt is paid off. Another initiative called Tyassarat helps debt-burdened citizens to rearrange their finances and get back on track.

Donors using the Ehsan platform can choose how much they would like to give and can pay by debit or credit card or with Apple Pay.

Donations became even easier in early February this year through the Tawakkalna smartphone app, the official Saudi Contact Tracing service launched to trace the spread of COVID-19.

Last year, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple donations via Ehsan that pushed the platform’s total figure past the SR1 billion mark. Since its launch, Ehsan has received more than SR1.4 billion ($373.2 million) in donations and handed them out to more than 4.3 million beneficiaries.

On Wednesday King Salman approved the launch — for the second year in a row — of the National Campaign for Charitable Work through the Ehsan platform.

The National Donations Platform likewise provides easy solutions to connect donors with needy individuals across the Kingdom, while ensuring a reliable and secure digital donation process supervised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

To date, more than 3.5 million people have benefited from money gifted through the National Donations Platform, including orphans, the sick, the elderly and people living in substandard housing.

Those wishing to contribute to overseas aid projects can do so through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, KSRelief, which works in 79 countries, supporting everything from the provision of specialist surgeries to landmine clearance.




Saudi Arabia's KSrelief distributed 1,800 Ramadan food baskets in the Sindh province of Pakistan, benefiting 12,600 individuals. (SPA)

As of February this year, $5.6 billion has been spent on the implementation of some 1,919 projects, many of them relating to food security and public health campaigns. Yemen, Palestine and Syria are its top three beneficiaries.

With many Arab countries struggling to overcome the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inflationary impact of the war in Ukraine on food and fuel prices, charitable donations are needed now more than ever to support those in need.

Fortunately, public outpourings of generosity, even before the holy month of Ramadan, have allowed aid agencies in the Kingdom and beyond to provide relief where it is needed most.

By regulating donations and ensuring transparency, Saudi authorities can now ensure this assistance does not end up lining the pockets of criminals or funding acts of terrorism but instead reaches those who are genuinely in need.


RCRC warns public against intermediaries offering assistance in applying for land use in Riyadh

Updated 07 April 2025
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RCRC warns public against intermediaries offering assistance in applying for land use in Riyadh

  • Any claims or messages published regarding the existence of entities that allow or facilitate applications are baseless, RCRC warns
  • The Commission said it is developing an electronic platform dedicated to receiving land use applications directly from citizens

RIYADH: Beware of unauthorized individuals or groups offering assistance in applying for land use in the national capital, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) advised the public on Sunday.

The Commission issued the warning as it announced that it has begun implementing the royal directive issued by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on taking practical measures to achieve balance in the real estate sector in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

The RCRC noted that it is currently working on developing an electronic platform dedicated to receiving land use applications directly from citizens without the need for any intermediaries or external parties. 

Any claims or messages published regarding the existence of entities that allow or facilitate applications are baseless, the RCRC said. 

The Commission also called on everyone to obtain information from official sources only, and to beware of any fraudulent attempts claiming to grant land outside the regulatory framework. 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier directed a series of measures aimed at achieving stability in the sector.

Among these measures was the lifting of restrictions on land transactions and development in northern Riyadh, as recommended in a study by the RCRC and the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.


‘At the Edge’: Art Week Riyadh signals bold new chapter in Saudi cultural renaissance, say organizers

Updated 06 April 2025
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‘At the Edge’: Art Week Riyadh signals bold new chapter in Saudi cultural renaissance, say organizers

  • Event organized by Visual Arts Commission and hosted at JAX District from April 6 to 13

RIYADH: Art Week Riyadh is making waves in the Saudi capital this week, with curators and creatives hailing the event as a pivotal moment in the Kingdom’s fast-evolving cultural landscape, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Organized by the Visual Arts Commission and hosted at the JAX District from April 6 to 13, the event is bringing together local and international artists, curators, and institutions in a celebration of contemporary creativity and cross-cultural dialogue.

The initiative reflects the growing momentum of Saudi Arabia’s cultural transformation, part of the broader Vision 2030 reform agenda that is reshaping the Kingdom’s social and artistic fabric, according to organizers.

Vittoria Matarrese, Director and Art Curator of Art Week Riyadh, described the event as a significant turning point.

“We chose the title ‘At the Edge’ because it reflects the nature of the phase Riyadh is undergoing,” Matarrese said. “It is a city positioned between the desert and urbanization, between heritage and renewal. This balance is evident in the diversity of participation and the dialogues presented by the exhibition.”

She added that Riyadh is increasingly defining itself as a space where modernity and tradition intersect, enabling a unique creative evolution.

Shumon Basar, curator of the Public Cultural Program at Art Week Riyadh, underscored the importance of the conversations taking place as part of the programme, titled “How to Create an Art World: Lessons in Value.”

He explained: “Our goal is not only to share experiences, but also to raise essential questions about the types of value that art creates in the contemporary world—whether economic, symbolic, or social—and how art can serve as a tool to understand cultural transformations, rather than merely reflect them.”

Art Week Riyadh serves as a key cultural platform that embraces diversity and encourages artistic experimentation, offering a space for critical reflection on the evolving role of art in society, SPA added. 


A look at NEOM’s prehistoric masterpieces etched in stone

Updated 06 April 2025
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A look at NEOM’s prehistoric masterpieces etched in stone

  • Open-air museum of ancient artworks is key to decoding past civilizations
  • Drawings reveal how human beings interacted with now-extinct animals in the area

MAKKAH: In the heart of NEOM’s Hisma Desert, where sandstone mountains and plateaus rise from the arid landscape, is an extraordinary collection of ancient rock art and archaeological inscriptions. These priceless treasures illuminate the cultural and economic vitality of long-lost civilizations.

Once a vital corridor for caravans travelling the ancient trade routes of the Arabian Peninsula, this region preserves an invaluable legacy etched into its geological formations.

The drawings show how people interacted with now-extinct animals in the area, as well as with livestock and camels. (Supplied)

Abdulelah Al-Fares, a photographer and expert in ancient artifacts and a member of the Saudi Heritage Preservation Society, told Arab News that the rock art is in the mountains and plateaus in NEOM, part of a mountain range in the northwestern part of Tabuk.

Hisma Desert is bordered by the Sharah Mountains to the north, by Wadi Araba to the northwest, by the Hijaz Mountains to the west, and by Harrat Al-Raha to the south.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Studying rock art in the region matters deeply because it reveals economic and cultural changes that shaped the northern Arabian Peninsula.

• The drawings show how people interacted with now-extinct animals in the area, as well as with livestock and camels.

• Among the standout examples are life-sized camels crafted with remarkable precision and aesthetic detail.

“The plateaus, part of the Hisma Desert and its geological formations, represent an open-air museum of nature, ancient rock art, and diverse historical inscriptions,” he said.

The artworks illuminate the journey of human civilization, revealing its cultural and social evolution in the region. (Supplied)

The rock drawings feature engravings of human figures, animals and various scattered scenes throughout the site.

The engravings on the plateau’s facades depict scenes of animals, including wild animals such as camels, cattle, ibexes, ostriches and wolves, as well as other predatory animals, and depictions of hunting scenes and human combat.

These drawings are notable for their precision and have remarkably withstood the elements for thousands of years.

Abdulelah Al-Fares, Saudi Heritage Preservation Society member

“These drawings are notable for their precision and have remarkably withstood the elements for thousands of years,” he said. “Most of the themes and scenes in some of the rock drawings in the region are repeated and depict, to some extent, the world of wild animals and the interactions of humans through hunting and warfare.

“The mountains embody a civilizational and cultural legacy through their distinctive rock drawings featuring human and animal forms,” Al-Fares said.

The rock drawings feature engravings of human figures, animals and various scattered scenes throughout the site. (Supplied)

He also highlighted the value of exploring NEOM’s ancient rock art. These carvings — depicting animals, hunting scenes and human figures — are a bridge between our modern lives and the world of humans thousands of years ago. They are a source of cultural and historical knowledge.

The artworks also illuminate the journey of human civilization, revealing its cultural and social evolution in the region.

Scattered throughout the area, a wide array of rock art sites show a vast and dense collection of drawings and archaeological inscriptions from different eras etched on mountain surfaces.

Al-Fares pointed out their diversity, noting the varied artistic styles, forms, and themes that distinguish each piece.

Among the standout examples are life-sized camels crafted with remarkable precision and aesthetic detail. The careful attention to detail is thought to underscore the camel’s role as an essential sources of food and transport in ancient times.

Another façade shows a herd of cows, all facing forward, their large crescent-shaped horns curving at the tips. Encircling this herd, human figures of varying sizes are skilfully carved.

These ancient artworks are pictorial panels of human history, activity, environmental adaptation, and cultural development during ancient times. Their value shines brighter given the scarcity of insights into prehistoric life.

Studying rock art in the region matters deeply because it reveals economic and cultural changes that shaped the northern Arabian Peninsula.

The drawings show how people interacted with now-extinct animals in the area, as well as with livestock and camels.

Many carvings portray human beings astride animals, including a warrior wielding a spear and sword, rendered with finesse and skill.

Scattered throughout the region, some drawings hint at the presence of different ethnic groups that lived in the area. The provide clues to migratiosn and trace the routes of trade caravans that used these locations as settlement points.

 


Riyadh forum to discuss future of project management

The forum’s chairman, Badr Burshaid, speaks during an event in Riyadh. (X @BadrBurshaid)
Updated 06 April 2025
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Riyadh forum to discuss future of project management

  • The event will offer a platform for exchanging strategies to improve project outcomes by enhancing skills, streamlining operations, and using modern technology

RIYADH: Riyadh will host the fourth Global Project Management Forum from May 17 to 19, focusing on advancing project management and promoting innovation and sustainability.

Held under the theme “Next-Gen Project Management: The Power of People, Processes, and Technology,” the forum will bring together professionals from more than 100 countries to explore the future of project management and share new methodologies.

The event will offer a platform for exchanging strategies to improve project outcomes by enhancing skills, streamlining operations, and using modern technology, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The forum’s chairman, Badr Burshaid, said the goal is to provide practical solutions to challenges while encouraging collaboration across people, processes, and technology.

The event will include sessions and workshops on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, sustainability, global value chains, and leadership development, along with an exhibition and book signings.

 


The Saudi volunteer team that carries out emergency rescues in the Northern region

Updated 06 April 2025
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The Saudi volunteer team that carries out emergency rescues in the Northern region

  • Turaif Falcons Search and Rescue Association rescues stranded motorists, finds missing people and assists in medical emergencies
  • Group recently helped evacuate severely overweight man suffering medical emergency in apartment

MAKKAH: A volunteer search and rescue team recently helped to evacuate a severely overweight man suffering a medical emergency in an apartment in Saudi Arabia’s Northern Borders region.

The man, weighing around 200 kilograms, was suffering from shortness of breath and low oxygen levels.

Due to the narrow staircase in the building — around a meter wide — the specialized team had to be brought in to evacuate the patient on a stretcher.

The team worked with the Saudi Red Crescent to safely transport him to a nearby hospital where he was placed on a respirator.

It was one example of a diverse range of rescue missions that the Turaif Falcons Search and Rescue Association regularly carry out.

Their work includes rescuing people from floods, assisting motorists stuck in the sand and locating people who have gone missing in the desert.

Operating under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, they thrive in a spirited volunteer environment, committing their time, skills, and energy to community service while promoting a culture of volunteerism.

In an interview with Arab News, Mohammed Bashit Al-Ruwaili, head of public relations and media, and the official spokesperson for the association, said that the team is made up of over 150 dedicated volunteers, who play essential roles in multiple areas — most notably in supporting official agencies during search and rescue operations and contributing to life-saving efforts.

He emphasized that the team operates within a well-structured institutional framework, working in direct coordination with relevant security authorities to assist in the execution of rescue missions.

Al-Ruwaili noted that the team plays a vital role in raising community awareness through training programs that teach members of the public about wilderness safety.

It also offers support via interactive community service initiatives led by experienced and skilled members.

The team is equipped with a comprehensive system that includes vehicles fitted with communication and alert devices, and personnel trained in first aid and search operations under challenging conditions.

He pointed out that the Falcons face major challenges from harsh weather conditions, including sandstorms and extreme heat, which can hinder rescue efforts, and emphasized the continuous need to strengthen and capabilities by providing volunteers with more advanced equipment.

Al-Ruwaili also underscored the importance of unified efforts between official agencies and volunteer teams to ensure rapid and effective emergency response.

The team is committed, he said, to expanding its efforts by attracting new volunteers and forging strategic partnerships with relevant authorities.

Al-Ruwaili stressed the importance of cooperating with authorities and promptly reporting any emergencies.

He reaffirmed the Turaif Falcons’ commitment to remaining on the front lines, always prepared to respond, save lives, and serve the community.