JEDDAH, 8 October 2006 — Efforts are under way to establish a Saudi charity commission to regulate charitable activities abroad. The proposal will be presented to the Shoura Council to win the consultative body’s approval.
According to proposed regulations, the Saudi government will not be responsible for any mistakes committed by organizations working under the commission, which will be a non-profit private body.
The state will have the power to monitor the activities of all the charities and take action against people breaking rules. The commission will follow the system being used by the Charity Commission in the UK.
The idea to set up such a body was the brainchild of Mahmoud Taiba, deputy chairman of the Shoura Council, and a number of Shoura members. The proposals have been fashioned in the light of a study that revealed the difficulties and challenges of Saudi charitable activities abroad.
They have already presented their proposal to Shoura Chairman Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid to get his approval for debate at the floor of the council. They have attached models of charity commissions in the US and Europe.
The commission will be based in Riyadh and will have branch offices in Saudi Arabia and abroad.
