RIYADH — The Ministry of Labor and Social Development held a preparatory workshop to discuss the availability of investment opportunities in the nonprofit sector in line with the Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020 in Riyadh on Thursday. The workshop came within the ministry's keenness to achieve the objectives of Vision 2030 and the NTP to empower the nonprofit sector, enhance services and widen its impact on a wide of range beneficiaries as part of the corporate social responsibility. The workshop was attended by Director General of the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) Abdulkarim Al-Nujaidi and Governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation Dr. Ahmed Al-Faheed along with officials of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and affiliated entities, experts, interested parties in the voluntary sector and representatives of private companies. Before launching the workshop, General Supervisor of the Social Development Department Majed Al-Osaimi, adviser of the labor and social development minister, presented the common characteristics of nonprofit system aimed to provide services for companies, individuals and government entities to establish charitable foundations. Al-Osaimi said the NGOs and nonprofit companies' law would regulate and streamline the charity work and protect its contribution to the national growth, in addition to enhancing Saudi citizens' role to develop society, spreading awareness of the voluntary sector and achieving social solidarity among its members. Speaking of its benefits, Al-Osaimi clarified that the law ensures the development of nonprofit sector, leaving impact on society to achieve more resilient in the charity work and empower individuals as well as allowing foundations to achieve their own objectives that are in sync with the current requirements alongside the future needs in this respect. Al-Osaimi pointed out that the amended law includes the formation of a council for non-government organizations and another one for nonprofit companies as well as the establishment of a fund for NGOs with the aim of supporting charitable programs. According to the new system, the license needed to set up a charitable foundation will be issued during a period of not less than 60 days from the date of submitting the application meeting all requirements, Al-Osaimi explained. He added that the regulations allow a foundation to be set up with the membership of not less than 10 individuals as well as companies, institutions and banks. Under the NGO law, the public and private sectors can contract the non-government organizations to dispense services and carry out programs. In addition, individuals can assume their positions in charities along with their membership on the boards of directors, said Al-Osaimi. At the workshop, he emphasized that the ministry is responsible for taking care of the NGOs affairs, including the issuance and renewal of licenses for charities and foundations and amending their authorization for various reasons pertaining to the establishment of such entities. He added that the ministry is assigned to providing government grants, supervising the activities of charities and monitoring their performance in terms of management and financial aspects with the aim of developing the workflow at these NGOs. In the meantime, officials and representatives of nonprofit companies raised several points during the discussion that defined the ministry's expected role to support private companies to establish their nonprofit entities or take part in setting up others in order to serve the national priorities in the field. The participants also discussed the challenges faced by companies in forming nonprofit organizations or contributing to them. They also shed light on opportunities in the private sector to develop and empower the so-called third sector.
